We had a ball at Brett’s open mic night at Pap Mojo’s Road House Wednesday night.  Grave Digger kept the area rolling at the table with his impromptu comedy.  The other end of the table was kept in stitches by our first Diamond in the Rough Comedian – Bishop.  Both of which who will be performing April 7 @ Laugh Now – Cry Later Comedy show at Season’s at Tandor.  Good thing the music was loud enough to stop us from disturbing other folks!

My wife Christine was able to join Grave Digger on stage to announce the show’s line up and new location while presenting three sets of complementary tickets to the birthday people that where in attendance. We want to thank our new and returning sponsors for supporting the shows going forward.

Some of the sponsors attending were Rory and Patrina Wooten of New Life New Hope, Wayne Thorpe of Thorpe Limousines and of course Christine and myself of DCCoop Business Solutions. Papa Mojo’s Road House will supply the beverages (Alcoholic and Non) along with food options, so make it out to our show and do stop by Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse on Wednesday nights to get great food and great music.

This has become the thing to do once a week to go to the Open-Mic night and mingle with real down to earth people hope to see more of the Durham people there. A former co-worker Sebastian Mayo can also be seen there weekly so come join us in the fun.

Now that the facts are out and the physicians all agree here are a few new names for old ills:

YTYDSS (You think your shit don’t stink syndrome) it has two other stages depending on gender HTHSDSS and STHSDSS cure: have the afflicted individual’s face pushed into the reality of what their shit actually smells like.

BYADS (Brings your average down  syndrome) this also affects both genders and usually happens to people that like to hangout in groups and can cover a wide range of areas from outward appearance to mental capacity cure: get self  to a point where number one priority is self.

RTIS Rectal-cranial insertion syndrome (one’s head is up their ass) cure: have them grab their ears and pull until they feel and hear a vigorous “Pop”.

GGTWS (God’s gift to women  syndrome) cure: have them meet a real God loving woman.

GGTMS (God’s gift to men  syndrome) cure: have them meet a real God loving man.

AAS Anal aperture syndrome (Ass Hole) cure: remind them that ass holes are like opinions, everybody has one and there is no need for two on one body.

If the prescribed remedies do not reduce the issues of the those afflicted then they need massive dosage of ” acquiring and aeronautical sexual assault on a centrifugally motivated piece of perforated pastry!” (Take a flying fuck in a rolling doughnut!)

Dr Klark E Dark

Local talent ( TYRAND ) bringing the smooth R&B sound that made the industry what it is today. I have heard this group perform on several occasions and have been left with the feeling of just witnessing greatness. Tyrand contact info (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=1910�) has performed for many of our comedy shows at Laugh Now ~ Cry Later and has always set the stage for the comedy show to be great.

They have released a Mix Tape featuring Chris Brown among others and have been signed nationally and have dropped a few of their own last week. This is something we all in Durham should get behind and support. They are featured guest at Showtime at the Apollo….Vance-Granville edition in Henderson NC on the 26th of March and of course will be performing at the April 7th show for Laugh Now ~ Cry Later comedy show.

Come on out and enjoy the show along with BET circuit Comedians Headlined by Grave Digger featuring Mocha, Bishop and Hosted by Poochie. Now back to the group Tyrand, these folks are going places and we get to see them as they took off to heights unknown and beyond. Keep it real and you will all go far.

Klark E Dark

Phunkin’ in Yo Neighborhood

Just like true Players of this game of life we again proved that one monkey or even cage in a zoo shall stop the show. Having made new contacts in the industry who fully understand what it is that we are trying to do for Durham (Grave Digger) along with the new found respect of the Comedians that we lined up for the February show (Who made jokes about finally being paid before they performed) we have even more to offer the people who attend the following shows also for our Sponsors. With the new location come the close proximity of Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse with New Orleans style cuisine, deep roots in good music and Comedy.

Our web presence has explode on the horizon of Comedy scene and cross-advertisement was one of the perks that was originally offered to Sponsors, now that is a reality with more than just web sites to push the local businesses of Durham this will accomplish what we set out to do. Bring some Comedy relief to the area while introducing the local businesses to each other  so we can gather around a common cause uplifting the city in which we live. For now the location of the show is the Banquet Hall the quality of the show is on an upward spiral with each show surpassing the last so keep supporting us and come to the shows.

for more information look at laughnow-crylater.com.

Klark E Dark

O D kept it rolling with his rapid fire comments on the old folks and yours truly was even the butt of a few of his zingers. J Bliss picked up were he left off and did not miss a beat with his ammo of pledge and step show lines. Then Karim (Bishop) our Diamond in the Rough winner got his therapy on as he calls it so cold he made his parents (who were in the audience) blush with tales of him growing up.

Then we gave out door prizes and our headliner J Smoothe closed the show with is analogy of today’s music versus the good music of old school and the ever popular Ike and Tina Turner skit that had the Pastor at our table unable to control his laughter and literally had him rolling on the floor.

This was all sponsored by New Life New Hope (the Wootens) and DCCoop Business Solutions (the Coopers) and also Cle’s Towing who brought out some potential sponsors for the March show which will be the 10th of March so as not to confict with the CIAA and March Madness tournaments, come on out and enjoy the funny.

Klark E Dark

Talib Kweli was so much into the creative activity when he was just starting out that he failed to hold control over it and got into an accident, namely, the writer’s block. There is other way to explain what was happening to the artist throughout the years following the release of his third long player, Eardrum (2007). A rapper who is well-known for releasing new albums almost annually, promised to issue another record pretty soon and even uncovered its title, Prisoner Of Conscious. Since then, a lot of water has gone under the bridge with the audience never getting what was promised. After wandering about labels, dropping by workshops of his colleagues and participating in a number of joint projects, Kweli finally got back to his studio to process his own material. Apparently, the writing of new songs proved to be a very tiring and uninspired process, which eventually disappointed Talib. As a result, the release of the mysterious Prisoner Of Conscious, supposed to be something revolutionary and incredible, was postponed. Instead, the public was offered Gutter Rainbows, which many took as a measure to consulate the audience.

Gutter Rainbows was manufactured according to Talib’s tested and reliable methods

The situation prior the release of Gutter Rainbows is quite weird for hip-hop music. The artist, Talib Kweli, was not especially generous in supplying details about this record saying only that it features some kind of experimental stuff, a set of sings that failed to make it through to another CD. The reason why listeners still believed in the decent quality of this product was based on the fact that Talib Kweli prepared this album on his own label. This gave him unlimited writing and performing freedom he was not granted by other labels. It turned out so that Talib did not go far beyond the style he established. The songs from the Gutter Rainbows catalogue sound different only because they were done by different producers. We will again hear the familiar neo-soul beats and Kweli’s confident spitting with him still hoping for his poetic gift. The artist reveals no desire to read his verses faster or in any other way. Just like before, the thematic core of his songs is stories about the life he has known since the early childhood time (Friends & Family). Only this time, he added impressions from living in a status of a music star (Mr. International). Is it bad or good? It is rather good because you can not find flaws in the quality of execution, nor in the lyrics, or in the mid-tempo beats that help highlight all the tunes and put them straight into the listener’s head.

Demonstration of power

The Gutter Rainbows track-list consists of strong songs having no room for weak or extra pieces. The most distinguished tracks take only one listen for you to remember them. As soon as Kweli brings in something that you can not hear on the rest of the songs, you get a hit. This is exactly what happens with Cold Rain, decorated with gospel influence. The same happens with Tater Tot, enforced with heavy, striking beats and infiltrated with a dark atmosphere. There is also a portion of self-praising, but you can not go anywhere without in the rap world. Talib Kweli sang love songs to himself and gave instructions to beginners in I’m On One. The conclusion is that Talib Kweli did leave experimentations and breakthroughs for tomorrow. He seems to put very high hopes in Prisoner Of Conscious. In the meantime, А Gutter Rainbows serves as an insurance policy. It is supposed to convince Talib’s followers that he is still a good rapper and a master of word who keeps working solely with true professionals. This record has no sensation of unexpectedness or feeling of discovery. Still, it demonstrates how powerful this artist is.

Alex Bartholomew

Sir Redman seems finally content with his niche in hip-hop. He understands it clearly that he will never be number one, that he will not shadow those with brighter stars. At the same time, Redman remains a highly regarded and respected performer who has been doing rap for two decades now. While those know have a vague idea of what kind of music it is will hardly differentiate his style from the others with the help of a song or two, true fans of rap have long ago learned all the tricks of this man. Steering clear of sugary pop-tuned melodies, staying away from banging and artificial programmed effects, Redman keeps producing hardcore rap, the music he started out with in the early nineties. This was the time when you could hardly imagine any other rap; but today many of those who used to play with Redman in the same league look to erase stylistic boundaries and let in this music anything that could make it more attractive, profitable and expensive. Redman, in his turn, still believes in the power of language, steadiness of rhythm and variety of rhyme. His seventh studio long player, Reggie, surfaced right before the ending of 2010 to let the audience once again see how closely this man guards traditions of his music.

Old-school rap to innovative beats

The materials Redman gathered to process into Reggie have been long used by him in his music production. You can even say that this album is a kind of tour or glance towards the nineties, undoubtedly a more proficient period for this man rather than the beginning of the new century. Not resorting to the complexities of Shakespeare or Faulkner, never going far into metaphors, Redman is able to drop a good joke and express a grave accusation within two or three lines. Sarcastic words scattered all over this record should not be taken as a surprise, because they are a great part of what you get to expect from a man named Redman. However, the unexpected part is that the singer, from time to time, puts experimental beats under his words. The results are not bad at all in a number of cases like in That’s Where I Be (here we have a heavy club beat) or in Rockin With Da Best (pretty darkened beat). Yet there come a few songs which simply do not meet Redman’s style. All I Do, for instance, has a nice R&B foundation under it, the one many could use for their good, but it was Redman who tried to, and, apparently, not so successfully. Still, the music aside, Redman is rapping the way he always has. Even the short intro is enough to understand that the true and only Redman is with us again.

Praiseworthy conservatism

How can we explain those minor and rare experiments that Redman allowed on Reggie? Looks like he finally agreed to satisfy his label Def Jam’s request to add something different into his material. On the other hand, whether the MC wanted it or it just happened so, the music, albeit slightly adjusted, stayed far behind the vocals. The listener remains fascinated by what Redman solely does, especially that listener who understands English. In fact, if we want to talk about innovations on Reggie, we must first of all name not the music, but the lyrical issues. Redman, it could be because of natural aging, lessened his acridity and put a leash on his temper. In some of the new albumâ��s songs he is excessively serious and close to getting involved into political propaganda, which does not look like him at all. Yet the magic of Reggie is that all of those who like Redman will like this album as well. Sure, it is not going to delight and astonish anybody, like the man’s highlight, Muddy Waters (1996), did. But it is not here to offer anything contrary to it. Redman does not want to change, and we don’t want him to change either.

Alex Bartholomew

Ghostface Killah is not the first and not the last performer who made a fortune and built up a brilliant career after working as a part of a popular band. If a man is charismatic enough, if he always has something to say and has an independent view on many things, he will definitely become a star, no matter whether as a member of a team or as a solo artist. This guy seems to have achieved the most distinguished results out of the whole bunch of Wu Tang Clan characters. Sure, he is now far from the hardcore music which was the cult to be worshipped by Wu Tang Clan. Nevertheless, for all these years of hard labor Ghostface Killah has molded a style many hip-hop supporters love and recognize. The raw and abrupt sound of Wu Tang Clan, transferred into the music of Ghostface Killah, has gone particular transformations and turned into a smoother and softer stuff, while the verses took a mire lyrical turn. As a true professional, he accomplished this reformation seamlessly; and even if he had not wanted to do it, we would not have noticed his reluctance. The new material from Ghostface Killah sounds as convincing as what he used to do long ago. You can hear it on his freshly released effort, Apollo Kids, too.

Retro-music backs rap

Ghostface Killah still loves to put something with retro flavor into his music. Therefore, on Apollo Kids we can here samples imitating old school soul music here and there. This is how the CD is launched. Purified Thoughts, and Superstar, made in cooperation with the respected boys Killa Priest, GZA, and Busta Rhymes, offer, on the one hand, heavy basses and rough voices of the artists, and, on the other hand, feature sampled female voices in the background. 2getha Baby is also retro-styled, but this time, borrowing the influence from the pop of the nineties. Another traditional feature preserved is writing stories for lyrics, which makes you hold the words in front of you while listening to such songs. Take, for example, Drama which will be remembered not as a piece of good melody, but as a song with good lyrics. Closing an album beautifully is a form of arts, and Ghostface Killah did not let the listeners down as he offered a couple of numbers with his Wu Tang Clan fellow, Raekwon. First comes another song with a soul-influenced touch, Ghetto, and then you have a more upbeat thing focusing you on drums and basses, Troublemakers.

Ghostface Killah keeps up

The casting of the persons who assisted Ghostface Killah making Apollo Kids will impress and encourage particularly those fans of hip-hop who prefer its classic form. The artist did not walk the path of his numerous colleagues who actively involve R&B performers to prepare their records. Apollo Kids is still rap. Yet the main merit by Ghostface Killah is not having his fellows sing alongside him on this record. After all, any bit time hip-hop album today forces a solo artist to invite a great number of assistants. The main merit by this guy is leaving all his helpers behind despite their names and contribution to this album. Ghostface Killah is as skilful and capable as ever. He still delivers catchy metaphors and coins rhymes at a speed of a machine-gun and with a conveyor-like productivity. Apollo Kids contains a whole lot of references to other kinds of music and different times than today, but this material complies with all Ghostface Killah standards, because this is his voice an his manner that draws your attention most of all in all songs. Everything else here is setting, while Ghostface Killah is an action, an action the whole Apollo Kids performance was arranged for.

Alex Bartholomew

This year it has turned a decade since the release of My Thoughts, Myron Avant’s debut album, the artist is known to most people only by his last name. This R&B performer immediately conquered the audience’s love and attention due to his charisma and very soulful vocals for which he was dubbed as the new voice of ghetto soul. Avant was inspired to pursue career in music by R. Kelly works, and one cannot but feel this influence while listening to his songs. His early hits Separated and My First Love still remain the favorites of many genre’s fans, as well as the later Read My Mind and 4 Minutes. It happens because Avant’s songs are based on his personal experience and are close to absolutely everybody. This year the artist is releasing his sixth album The Letter, the first on the label Verve Forecast, to which he has been recently signed. As before Avant sings about love, but he discovers any more facets of the life’s main feeling on The Letter, tries to understand which really is the best way to treat a woman and shares his thoughts on what it means to be a man.

Very beautiful and atmospheric tracks on The Letter

The forty minutes of the album The Letter comprise eleven very beautiful and atmospheric tracks devoted to love, women, introspection and once again love. Avant has always been able to tell in a beautiful way what he thinks about the opposite sex, and one can find moments proving that on each of his creations. The examples of suchlike songs can also be found on the new record, for instance, its opener Graduated. It is a very original way to pay a woman a compliemt: Avant is supposes addressing a beautiful woman that she is a beauty and fashion expert graduated from a special women’s club. The melodious R&B-composition Hotಐ opens with a romantic telephone conversation, while one of the saddest and weepy numbers is Kiss Goodbye filled with fear to be left by his beloved. The production on Had Enough will leave nobody indifferent, the bass beat creates a great contrast with high notes in the singer’s vocals. Very contagious clapping on Nightlife will make the listener rock his or her head with the music or even dance from the very beginning, and the unobtrusive lyrics about sleepless nights will not interfere with relaxing and having some rest from troubles. Avant continues to surprise with his metaphoric compliments on Your Body Is The Business, while on Where Did We Go? he is analyzing a long-tern relationship and the passion starting to fade. The song That Dude expresses Avant’s thoughts about how important it is to accept each other entirely, with all the drawbacks, and most of men will surely agree with him on that matter. The album closer is probably the most beautiful ballad on it, Walking On Water, conquering with its tune and the graceful lyrics about the gentlest feelings.

Avant stands out from the crowd

Avant has called his album The Letter because by means of it he is telling people about what is worrying him most of all in his life at the moment, what he is reflecting on, what he is trying to understand as if he wrote them a letter. There is one particular feature of Avant’s music that is present on all of his works but it is especially noticeable on this record. It is the way his songs are sexy without practically telling anything about sex in their lyrics but hinting at it, the most of this effect being hidden in the seductive beats he is singing against. That is why his music is an obligatory part of any collection for couples’ romantic evenings, it does not matter which of his albums you choose. Then again, some tracks on The Letter prove to be especially atmospheric in this way and will definitely lead in this kind of collections. At the same time, Avant suggests that the listeners think about the complicated way human relations work, and that deserves respect for he would have surely been a success just seducing women with his songs possessing such a sensual voice as many of his contemporaries do. Luckily the album The Letter proves once again that Avant stands out from the crowd and intends to remain like this further on.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya