Get By

Patchwerk Studios
Atlanta, GA 2003

This Cash Money shit was starting to get on my nerves. Here I am far away from home hustlin’ my ass off with a bunch of niggas that I couldn’t relate to. I’m doing the kinda music that I’m not really interested in. This Gemini project is becoming a great collection of lovesongs, but I ain’t a love singer so it’s starting to get to me. Everything I’m turning in Slim is loving, but I’m just not satisfied. We had already had the talk. I completely understood what he was trying to do. I kept saying to myself, “Get in character man!” I write lovesongs for other people without a problem so I needed to draw on that same inspiration. For other people, I find it easy to use my imagination. For myself, I tend to use my memory. I write about real life. Pretty much every song on Gemini was about a particular woman that had been in my life at some point. Actually, one chick took up a couple songs… She was too much! LOL! Anyway, I was running out of ex-girlfriends! I needed relief. I needed to write some TQ shit…

This was the thing. Up until this point there was no Thugpoetry on this album. How could that be? This MY album on CMR… How could it not be gangsta as fuck? I got all these dope rappers around and none on my record… No Mikkey, Wayne, or Gillie the Kid. Not even the Big Tymers! Something had to give. I had to go talk to Giant…

I pretty much knew how this convo was going to turn out. I was surprised when Slim was receptive. I told him how I was feeling. “Dawg I got a lot of fans around the world, that have never heard me sing lovesongs. If I woulda been singing lovesongs, they prolly wouldn’t be my fans!” I explained to him that I had my own little niche and that me doing this kind of music was gonna level the playing field with all these other Markz…

I never had anything in common with the R&B set. Most cats I’ve met over the years have been on some complete other shit and have left me scratching my head. I just can’t relate. They’re either extra weird, extra soft, or just extra… That ain’t me man. I live rap. I love rap. In my life, I’ve hustled way more than I’ve loved and it’s evident in my music. Shit, in most stores u gotta hit the rap section to find my records. (Thaz not my choice by the way…) I needed to do some real shit or I was gonna lose my mind…

I’m like “Slim, Fresh just did me a gangsta beat and it’s fire! It ain’t no love shit tho. I think we can at least sprinkle this album with some shit for the block. It don’t have to be a single or nothin ya know?” he didn’t agree but he didn’t have a problem with me doing the song how I wanted to do it. Left up to him, it wasn’t going on the album anyway… Me and Fresh got to work. All I gotta do is get this money…

I instantly tap into the current situation for inspiration. I’m sitting here in another situation where the powers that be are scared to let me be me. I’m so sick of asking, explaining, and trying to get muthafuckas to understand what I do. “Is he a singer or a rapper?” I was sick of that question… I don’t rap. I can’t rap and I don’t wanna rap. I sing R&B music for my neighborhood. Is that unheard of? If it is then it ain’t no more. Some of us are here to get love. Some of us are here to get by… I’m the latter… And if Cash Money wasn’t gonna give it, I was gonna take it.

That’s what “Get By” is all about. Taking what’s yours… If it’s the whole fucking world then let it be! These niggas were standing in the way of me gettin by. I got to “Get By”…

Gemini is possible cuz I straight up stole it. Every time I did new Muzic with CMR I’d always double back and get copies. Baby had this shit locked up but I’m Tom Slick. I was way smarter than them. They’d get drunk and go to the bus and play Madden while I go to the computer and act like I’m checking emails… In actuality I’m clicking on “bounce to disk” and sending that shit straight to my drive… Them silly dudes wondering why I’m always on the compter! LOL! Nigga I’m sending my shit to my publisher b4 u send it to urs saying Lil Brian wrote it!

U play the game.

Do what u gotta do to “Get By”

The new Album Gemini is set for worldwide release in 3 weeks! Buy it and complete the collection!!!!

Stay tuned as next I’m taking u to the “Ghetto” aka TQ vs Lil Wayne in Patchwerk Studio parking lot… LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!

Still…

Summer 2003 -
Circle House Studios Miami, Florida.

It was finally time to do some TQ shit…
I had written a bunch of songs, hooks, and verses on a bunch of Cash Money music. From Baller Blockin’ all the way up to the Carter u can find my name somewhere in the credits. Slim and Baby did wonders for my catalog but my fans didn’t really give a shit about that. All they knew is that it had been 3 years since they got an album from me. I was pass due and Slim for one knew it. He was catching pressure from Universal to get it poppin. Me and Wayne had just come off a huge single and it was perfect timing. Outside of the album concept for Gemini, me and Giant were always on the same page. His thing was to make sure that I stayed in the studio coming up with catchy songs. That way the rappers could just come and rap. Me, Fresh, and Jazze were the Cash Money assembly line and it was workin out well. Baby had a different idea…”Nigga fuck being cooped up in the studio all the time! U need to be out here stunnin’ wit me. Stick with the Birdman and everybody gonna see u!” So he made it a point that I was with him most of the time…

Man I had to find a happy medium. Slim realized that.

I had gone home to LA for some much needed West Coast living. Every once in a while I had to go home and rejuvenate ya dig? WAY too much Popeye’s and no El Pollo Loco used to fuck with my overall demeanor after a while feel me? Lol! I got a call from Slim saying it was time to start on the record and to meet Fresh in Miami. That was good news. See up until this point, me and ChubbyBoy had only worked on other peoples music. Not my own. Slim told me Baby was going to New York and me and Fresh didn’t have to go so sure enough we headed to the MIA…

Now Mannie Fresh is a different type cat. If it ain’t no fun he really ain’t interested. When I first got to Miami we went to Guitar Center and bought a bunch of shit. Fresh has a different approach… “Boy look at that purple keyboard! Thaz shaaaarp! I ain’t got a purple keyboard! Let me get that!!” Thaz what I mean by fun. He didn’t buy the keyboard cuz it sounded good. He bought it cuz it was purple! Thaz the same approach he takes to make music. All about fun. We bought some more weird looking stuff and headed to the studio…

In the car on the way we chopped it up about the album. “Slim said he want us to do a record for the women so we ’bout to do some shit for the women”. I figured “Well that was pretty easy…” I wasn’t with the whole “love” album thing. Never was my cup of tea but I understood what Slim was trying to do. He wanted to expand his label and plus he promised that I could get back to me after this first one. I played my position.

Fresh is like “Check this beat out.” and popped in a CD. It was a little more than a drum program but it was hot. I started humming a melody for the verse… He said he would put some more shit on it at the studio. When we got there I grabbed the CD and went in the lounge and started writing. Fresh and Wolf started working on the track.

I had the verses about 45 mins later and Rick the Guitar Man was in the control room playing a riff over and over. Fresh was singing “I still love ya! Luv ya! Luv ya! I Still Luv ya! I love you yes I do! He was doing that Lil’ dance he always does where he claps his hands and kicks his feet up. The whole thing was catchy. I sang him the verses and it all fit perfectly!!!! Thaz the thing with Fresh. It seems like we always on the same wavelength. I always liked working with dude. Anyway, we laid the guitar and I sang all the vocals. When we got done Fresh said “I’m gonna mess with it some more tomorrow.” I said cool and went to the hotel. Thought nothing of it… The next morning Fresh hits me and says “Lets go to DisneyWorld!” I’m like what? He says we’re gonna go host a party tonite in Orlando and go to Disneyworld tomorrow… LOL! He told me to meet him at the studio.

When I get to Circle House I walk in the control room and Betty White is sitting on the couch. I’M TRIPPIN! I’m thinkin I walked into the wrong session. I look in the booth and it’s like 15 Lil’ kids at the mic. I’m like “What the hell is going on in here?” Fresh comes out of the booth and introduces me to Ms. White. Then he hits record. All the kids start singing “I still love you, luv ya, luv ya….” and it all clicks!!!

This nigga got the kids singing the chorus and it changed the whole vibe! Fresh said he always thought about Mothers Day with this song. Like “Honey I still love you… From me and the kids”. Feel me? When it was all said and done I was sold. When we played it back something crazy happened. From the back of the control room I hear “Oh I love this song!” it was Betty White and my day was made. She had been working with children and teaching them to sing for years. She actually brought them to the studio! They had just done records for Trick Daddy and a couple others. Just so happened that this day one of her main singers was not able to come to the studio so she did a couple tracks herself immulating the little girls voice… It was crazy. If u listen close enuff u can hear that one of the voices in the chorus is much too rich to be a little kid. Well that’s Miss White and she’s singing backgrounds on a TQ record. I called my moms but she didn’t believe me. She still doesn’t….

“Still…” is a statement from a man to that woman that has always been down for him. It’s a story about how it’s possible to be rewarded for all the things that we men put our women thru. Kinda like it’s a light at the end of the tunnel that a bad situation as a relationship can be temporary, but we have to give it the time to materialize into what it can be. So many outside issues affect the way we deal with each other. If those things weren’t relevant we may be able to realize that we’ve met somebody great and allow them to be so… Just gotta give it time.

I ain’t Dr. Phil. It’s just my thoughts.

Enjoy “Still…” Written by myself and Byron Thomas. Produced by Mannie Fresh for ChubbyBoy Music.

My album “Gemini” is coming out soon! These blogs are just a little behind the scenes footage for the songs from that album which was never released by Cash Money. I hope u enjoy them! Stay tuned for the next installment “Get By” in a couple days…

Go get the new single “Hot Girl” on sale TOMORROW at all ur favorite online stores!!!!!

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!!!

The Gemini…

Must have been around 2002…
I was living in New Orleans, signed to Cash Money, and had pretty much solidified myself as the hook man in this camp. I’m a songwriter. If I write I get paid for years. I learned that years ago so I played my position and made sure I was in the studio every time Fresh was there. It was working out fine for me, but by reading my mail I saw my fans had a different standpoint. They wanted a new TQ album and they thought they’d have one by now. I started to wonder what the issue was in the back of my mind. I hadn’t really done a lot of shit by myself since I been here. Always, Big Tymers, Wayne, Birdman, and everybody elses records. One day, out of the clear blue, Slim hit me and asked me to take a ride with him. He came to the crib, picked me up, and me, him, Brother Dre, and Cock Green rode out to his house to watch the Raider game. Slim said “T what you wanna name your album? It’s time to get it done and put it out!” Music to my ears… I replied “Gemini”. His wheels started to turn… We watched the game, ate some gumbo, and went back across the river. The Raiders got the shit kicked out of them so the ride back was not as talkative… When we got to the house Slim said for me to meet him at the office the next day to listen through some tracks. I figured that was good news… They Ieft, I called ol’ Monica and left the door open… LOL!!!

The next day I walked into Giants office and he was listening to some music. I sat down and figured he was just having a moment. See Giant was heavy into R&B. Ole skool soul shit is his thing… These were the kinda beats he was playing. Slow, melodic, straight up R&B joints. I guess he was waiting for a reaction, but when I gave none he finally said that he had been recieving beats from various producers in the game and these are the ones he liked…I’m thinking to myself, producers? What about Mannie Fresh? I replied “for me?” I was shocked when he said yeah. He laughed cuz he knew that this ain’t the kinda shit I do… He turned the music off and gave me his big idea. “T check this out. The name of Ur Album is Gemini. Gemini’s have 2 sides. We gonna show a different side of u and a different side of Cash Money. We bout to get fly on ‘em”. “We going after Usher and Kellz and all these R&B cats!” I’m sitting there with my mouth wide open cuz I can’t believe what I’m hearing… He goes on to say that we’ll save the street shit for everybody elses records. “I want u to sing 4 the women!” u coulda sold me for a penny at that point. I think he recognized my expression and furthered his point. “T we gotta hit ‘em from all angles. We got the streets on lock. We need the other side u feel me? Thaz why I brought u here…” I’m like damn I wish he woulda told me that b4 I signed that contract… I thought I was coming here to be TQ not go after Usher. Thaz not really my thing ya dig?Anyway, Slim ended the conversation with “Just trust me” and my last thought was, this nigga is the boss… Let me get the fuck outta here b4 I start talkin crazy. I bounced to the parking lot and sat in my car. Here we go a-fuckin-gain…

Why has it been so hard to just do me?I have no category. I’m not a rapper but I got lyrics all day. I’m not here to dance around the stage and blow up shit, but when I’m finished with what I do, you will stand up and clap after being thoroughly entertained. I cannot sing like Pavarotti, but my voice has been known to touch your soul. Why can’t I just do me? I came to the most gangsta label in the game so I could do some gangsta music. Now the “gangstas” want me to sing to the women. I called up the Birdman…

“Bubba wuz poppin Dawg? U want me to sing love songs???” He replied, “Nigga what is u talkin bout? We don’t do no lovesongs over here!” LOL! I instantly felt better! I’m like, Bird got my back on this one and thaz good. He said “Where u going with all that T? I want that hood shit from ur first album I used to play everyday Dawg.” I told Baby that I had talked to Slim about it. He gave me a funny look and said “Wait, Giant said he wants u to do love songs?” I’m like, yeah thaz what he said. Baby instantly changed his tune. “Well u gotta do love songs then bruh wrap that. I’ll put on a suit witcha one time ya dig?” He laughed and got off the phone. Unfuckinbelievable…

Compton taught me to respect my OG’s or else. Thaz the way I came up. The boss had spoken and I was either gonna fight or sing… Again. Just Like Atlantic. Just like Epic. Difference is these niggas fight back a different way and I’m on their turf. I’m better off singing…

And sing I did…

The man had a point. For his side it was good business I guess. Nothing about them was fly or classy at the time. It was all gutta and he wanted me to put some shine on it. This is the shit I’m faced with. I gotta figure out a way to pull it off and still completely stay true to what I do…

I do reality R&B.

I been in love. I got my Lil’ heart broke b4 LOL! I didn’t like feeling like that so I stay out of it these days. For this Album, this is the time of my life that I chose to write about. Needless to say it’s different from anything else I’ve done. I did not enjoy recording it… But if u like R&B music, I think you’ll like listening to it.

They say us Gemini’s have two faces. Well this is my other face… Stay tuned. For the next couple of weeks leading up to the release I’ll be writing about each song and giving you all the thoughts and events behind these recordings. That way when u hear the record u can listen thru my ears ya dig? I think it’ll be interesting…

The Full Official Release of my 2002 Album “Gemini” is coming soon. With 3 New Songs and featuring, Jagged Edge, Mikkey Halsted, Gilly The Kid, The Birdman, and Lil Wayne… Production from Mannie Fresh, Damizza, MoJazz, and Mygotdamnself.

Get ready for the other side…

WESTSIDE4LIFE!

Internet Power…

ThugPoetry… I always been fascinated by that word. I didn’t make it up. I got it from some real inventive kids who created a website for 2Pac, Bone Thugz, and ya boy… I found out about the site from my girl Iz in New York. She was already a member and suggested I join. I joined up and it took me a year to get them to believe it was really me… I joined it because I was flattered. I was damn near scared! They had so much shit on me ya dig? Hundreds of pix, music, lyrics, footage, u name it! I didn’t give them anything! All this was compiled by a bunch of kids around the world who didn’t even know each other, but knew that they all loved my music… That fucked me up and it still does. That’s power. Internet power. 

Before this website, I used my computer to do music, write, and play games. Period. Never gave a damn about the web and all this social networking. I’d always take some hours out of the week to physically write fans back, but u can imagine how much didn’t get done going that route… Now look at me. I bet I talk to more of my fans than any other cat in the game. I’m an Independent contractor and the net is my primary source of business. It’s 2009, I own myself, I love my fans, and I use the net to get myself to them. Faster than any jet or rocket for that matter… And my fans showed me how to do this. That’s powerful. Why? Cuz I got fans in 27 countries that I know of so far. Thaz just the ones that I’m in contact with one way or another. How can I possibly get to them? Just like this… Internet Power

It has it’s other advantages… 

I’m a real misunderstood cat. I can write much better than I can speak. For those who give a shit, this thing can bring about some understanding. Boy we sure need that these days… For those who don’t, use it for entertainment. Feel free to hate as much as u like. Everybody has their opinion and they’re entitled to them. Plus I don’t really give a fuck anyway. I just wanna let my peeps in on the my world and see what’s poppin’ in theirs.

Ever since the AllHipHop articles started people have been asking about writing books and all kinds of shit. I never really thought about any of that. I just wrote about what I remembered… A postdated journal if u will. I been thru a bunch of shit in this entertainment game and I see cats going thru a lot of the same shit. If somebody’s wishes to listen, I’m happy to send out some game. So that’s just it. This is a game giveaway. Get some or don’t.

This is my blog. It’s Thugpoetry. My dawg Big Steele sealed the deal when he called me outta the Blue and suggested it after like 3 other people in the same week. I didn’t even know he was into that kinda shit…Thaz that Internet power. I’m gonna be over here writing periodically. It’s only my thoughts… Just my thoughts. Imma talk about whatever. Whenever I want. Music, politics, religion, sex, money, Sports, whatever. I want u to leave ur comments too. Whatever they may be… This is my planet and ur welcome to come and set up shop. Start trippin too bad and Imma erase yo ass tho… LOL!

I got a bunch of shit going on in 2009. I’m gonna finally drop my Cash Money Album “Gemini” first. I’m gonna use this Blog to give u guys some history behind some of the songs and when they were recorded. Those were the CMR days so it was never a dull moment I assure u…. I got 2 movies in production right now. “When The Smoke Clears” and “One Love” are the first 2 films coming out of my new film company and I’m real excited about them both. I’ll be blogging about both shoots as we go. I’m also in negotiations to buy one of the films that I starred in already cuz they ain’t doing shit with it ya dig? Wish me luck on that one… I’ll blog about negotiations in the film business and how wild it gets… LOL! I’m gonna end the year with what is starting off to be a helluva project… I’m 5 songs into my 6th Album entitled “Kind of Blue” and I’m gonna use this blog 4 the play by play as these new songs are recorded. Think of it as the studio journal… You’ll know about these songs b4 u hear them. When they were recorded… what was the mood? Was I sober? LOL! Did it take a long time? Did I get stuck on a line? Did I fall asleep on my mixing board? Did I have a lady friend around for motivation at the time?????

Imagine That…

Should be fun… Stay tuned for some Internet Power…

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!