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Dubcnn Blog - Haywire (By Jonathan Hay)
Dubcnn is always looking to expand its writing staff to include some of the
best writers online and with this new Blog we are delighted to have lined up
Jonathan Hay to present this series of articles that will fall under the newly
formed Haywire Blog.
Whether it be a weekly dissection of the latest news and events or his
historical glances at events gone by you are guaranteed to be entertained,
informed and taken on a journey of thought that is sure to provoke discussion.
September
2008 | May 2008
| April 2008
September 2008
Haywire: Fourth
Edition (Wednesday September 3rd, 2008)
Dr. Dre: The Aftermath of Tragedy
By Jonathan Hay
Parents don't expect to outlive their children. Unfortunately, tragedy has
literally hit home for fêted music mogul, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young. My heart
goes out to the broken-hearted family of the deceased, who are
excruciatingly suffering.
Right now, Dr. Dre is painfully dealing with the unfortunate loss of his
son. The grieving process is unbearable and no amount of words could comfort
such bereavement. As a parent, you will never have any greater pain in your
life than losing your own child. Moreover, when you suffer through such a
heightened emotional time of sadness and melancholy, you undoubtedly
question God. I think during such severe and grueling times like these, many
people become enraged and angry with God – feeling betrayed and even
blasphemous toward Him. We are never really healed from such complete
devastation. Forgive us Father for we know not what we do…
Many people say “Rest in Peace” to the departed; but it is the living that
cannot seem to come to a peaceful rest. Mothers and Fathers who have
suffered the loss of a child endure many sleepless nights of brutal
insomnia, confused regrets, non-stop questions of ‘what-ifs,’ tears…and even
shame. How can a parent really contend with the toughest loss of their life?
The guilt, oh the unbearable guilt…
Right now, I am furious beyond belief over what I have been reading in the
aftermath of this delicate and tragic event. And I have read so many foul
statements from people -- so-called “fans” of Dr. Dre -- who have absolutely
no sympathy or respect for his situation. Repeatedly, I have read statements
like “Detox isn’t coming out now” “Detox this” and “Detox that” --- are you
kidding me? This is a parent’s worst nightmare. Are we really this much of a
Godless society? Have we lost our damn morals? What have we become? There
are many more important things in the world than music. Forgive us Father
for we know not what we do…
I would like to send a personal message to Andre Young, the mourning father:
Forget the music, ignore all the negative talk, focus on your family and
press deeper into God. A true Father and son moment is when we spend time
alone with our Creator. I have no idea what kind of life your son lived --
what his beliefs were, his convictions -- but thankfully, we serve a God of
extreme mercy and unconditional love. Thank you Father!
It takes a truly great man to be able to view this life, and all its
unfortunate circumstances, from a perspective outside of our emotional
anguish. Our unique calling comes from God’s own voice, and we are
constantly being both tested and blessed everyday. Our divine faith will
bring us to our knees, and we are held accountable to our distinctive
purpose. Mr. Young, while the whole world is watching your every move, you
have this miraculous opportunity to be an honorable witness who remains
strong, obedient and righteous during this heartbreaking tragedy – a true
example of loyalty and faith. Who you are internally is how you are
defined…and shows what a man is made of. Stand tall, because no matter what
happens, all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. You
are a pillar of strength and grace, a good and faithful servant. Sleep well
child, rest in His gentle peace.
---Jonathan Hay
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May 2008
Haywire: Third
Edition (Tuesday May 27th, 2008)
A blog about us: A must read.
By Jonathan Hay
We continue to mourn over an industry that has been reported as dead. The
eulogy of the music industry reads gloomy and hopeless as we sit sulking as
spectators, dressed from head to toe in the respectable color of death, and
hiding sarcastic smiles behind our elephant tears. With everyone looking, we
point our fingers and mock this dying business. Among the black tailored
Armani suits and faint smell of embalming fluid, there seems to be a
celebration in the air.
Where is the funeral music? Where are the flowers? The pallbearers? Will we
carefully place its shell in the back of a hearse as police officers escort
our flag-bearing cars to the nearest cemetery? Will we bury it in the ground
forever and remember it only on special occasions by marking its grave with
plastic flowers and ceramic angels?
I find it extremely ironic that so many of us are gloating at this so-called
funeral. We seem to have bypassed the predictable elements of the memorial
service and send it straight to be cremated and spread the ashes over the
world.
Why are we entertained by the lack of entertainment revenue? Isn’t this the
same business that pays our bills and feeds are families? Why are we attacking
it so viciously? Don’t we feel somewhat accountable, or do we feel no
responsibility to help? If this is the culture we love then where is our pride
and love for our music? We just “Walk On By” as if we have Isaac Hayes playing
in our iPod on our daily walk from Jerusalem to Jericho, walking right past
the brothers we have robbed and almost beaten to death. Don’t we want to play
the part of the Good Samaritan here? The parable here is that we are able to
rise above our subpar behavior and attitude.
Ice Cube said in his song “Us”
“We can’t enjoy ourselves
Too, busy jealous of each other’s wealth
Coming up is just in me
But the black community is full of envy”
I want to reiterate those lyrics by Cube and change one word in the last line
so it goes:
“…But the rap community is full of envy”
In the spirit of Queen Latifah, we all need a little “U.N.I.T.Y” -- there
is way too much envy, jealousy and hatred. Hip-hop suffers from
crab-in-a-bucket syndrome – a bunch of crabs trapped at the bottom of the
bucket, when one of the crabs attempts to escape by climbing to the top the
other crabs pull it back down to the bottom of the bucket so that it will have
the same fate as the rest of them.
While we are scoffing and talking a lot of negativity, we have failed to
realize that Hip-hop and the music industry is alive and well! Sure, there
have been growing pains, but we are still here. We need a public morale boost
to lift the spirits of everyone in this business. We should focus on the
positive, like the fact that Apple has sold a staggering 4 billion singles, or
how about the millions and millions of ringtones that have been sold. Think
about all the digital sales and different money streams. Moreover, with
mega-endorsement deals, corporate branding and product placement this business
is not just one-dimensional anymore.
We, as the media, need to quit focusing on the “me.” The me-dia is excessively
self-centered, indulgent and selfish. I hate that the word “media” even has
“me” in it. It should more like “we-dea,” if you know what I’m saying. So,
let’s dry our eyes, hang up our Armani suits and get excited about the culture
that we live to love and love to live. Let us get inspired and revive this
so-called dying industry – because after all, we are only evolving.
Take a look at us…
Shout out to O’Shea Jackson, a true activist and inspiration for many
generations to come! Also, a big shout out to Sabrina, a true inspiration to
me.
---Jonathan Hay
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Haywire: Second
Edition (Tuesday May 6th, 2008)
Lollipop: A Hard-To-Swallow Reality
By Jonathan Hay
This is a blog about the bittersweet reality behind the major hit single,
“Lollipop” by Lil’ Wayne, featuring Static Major. This infectious single is
currently the top song in the country, but sadly, where there is triumph there
is often tragedy.
This tragedy really hits home for me. Static Major, known back home as Stephen
Garrett, is from my hometown of Louisville, KY. We went to both Westport
middle school and Waggener high school together. Although we attended the same
schools, had some of the same classes, and hung around some of the same
people, I wouldn’t say that Static and I were really close. Nevertheless, I
remember him as being very outspoken, funny, and entertaining. We had the same
business class together my freshman year of high school and I remember Static
was always entertaining the class – either by rapping or singing along with
our classmate Troy Dudley, while rhythmically tapping the desk to emulate a
drum pattern, or joking around with his friend, Glen Woodrum.
Static went on to do major things. The tipping point began in 1996, when
Static wrote a song for Ginuwine, called “Pony” (produced by Timbaland), that
exploded, hitting #1 on the Billboard charts. He then followed with another
smash record “Are You That Somebody” by Aaliyah, spinning his career into a
snowball of success. He went on to write song after song for numerous major
artists, inspiring our hometown and infectiously motivating the entire city. I
remember seeing him in the Mall at St. Matthews walking around the food court,
just after his group Playa released their critically acclaimed debut album
Cheers to You on Def Jam Records. As I watched from across the food court,
star-struck fans ambitiously swarmed around him, vying for his attention, like
kids in a candy shop fighting for the last lollipop. He is truly a hometown
hero.
I was planning to reunite with Static when I made it to the top -- and I
always knew I would see him at the top. So, it was around February when I had
just heard his promotional duet with Lil’ Wayne called “I Got My” and I knew
that he was also featured on the first single “Lollipop” from Lil’ Wayne’s
upcoming album, Tha Carter III. I was actually in the process of contacting
him for an interview with one of the hip-hop publications I am writing for
when I received the devastating call from back home, “Stephen Garrett is
dead.” I was shocked. “He can’t be dead!” I thought, he was way too young and
his impressive career was about to really take off – 2008 was sure to be the
year of Static Major.
I guess I didn’t realize at the time that “at the top” would be so literal –
as in, heaven -- when we all stand before the Lord on judgement day. But
anyone who knows Static knows that he loved God and he was a believer. I know
that Stephen Garrett is with the Lord now, because like it says, “The
righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken
away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared
from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they
lie in death.” (Isaiah 57:1-2).
Many years ago, Static touched so many people back home when he sang “It’s So
Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday,” at his own sister’s funeral -- now we are
having a hard time saying goodbye to him. It has been officially reported that
Stephen Garrett died February 25, 2008 at Baptist Hospital East (St. Matthews
– Louisville, KY) of complications from a medical procedure – A failed medical
procedure?! What?! Many people were enraged at the hospital when he passed
away, “His death and illness are not related. His death was attributed only to
the malice of the hospital,” says Smoke E. Digglera, friend and band mate of
Static, on his MySpace blog.
Baptist Hospital East is right around the block from our former high school
and only a block away from where I am sitting at this moment writing this
story, as I am at my old Kentucky home for the Kentucky Derby with my family.
I have decided I’m going to take it upon myself to take a closer look into
this tragic and unfortunate situation and uncover the truth of what really
happened on February 25th at Baptist Hospital East. Whatever I find will be
reported right here exclusively at the Haywire blog. If someone is indeed
carelessly responsible for the death of Stephen Garrett, then they should be
held accountable and it should be brought to light.
If anyone has any information, please contact me directly at (310) 402-6949 or
on MySpace.
I realize that the world loves Lil’ Wayne and Static Major’s “Lollipop” song,
but personally, it’s hard for me to listen to. It is such a great
accomplishment to have the #1 song in America but, man, the tragic events
following this song are a hard reality for me to swallow, leaving a
bittersweet taste in my mouth.
Stephen “Static Major” Garrett, cheers to you.
Shout out to the original St Matthew’s stomping crew: Mark Holzheimer, Jason
Eisenmenger, Cody Johnle, Adam and Kyle Degener, Dennis Martin and Daniel
Baldwin.
---Jonathan Hay
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April
2008
Haywire: First
Edition (Thursday April 24th, 2008)
More Than Words (My Introduction to Dubcnn)
By Jonathan Hay
Right now, I feel like a hungry emcee about to step into the vocal booth and
spit over a hot West Coast track. I’m ready to spit -- ready to bring my
verses, words, ideas and thoughts to the world.
If you really think about it, journalists are on the same page as emcees as we
both write or type out our own personal expressions. Our writings are the
acapellas written to the sound of the outside world - a journalist’s
instrumental.
Traffic noise or everyday ambience outside your window is our rhythm…our
music. The ongoing sounds heard from the Santa Monica Pier while breathlessly
looking out across the Pacific Ocean, or like the noise driving down Wilshire
Blvd. with the sound of the pulsating rain pouring down on the windshield
wipers, on beat, like our own natural metronome. The cadence of life is all
around us as we are synchronized like the traffic lights at an intersection.
Journalists are like emcees -- except our 16 bars are 16 sentences woven into
paragraphs…and our paragraphs are like songs. This is our stage, and our
demographic audience is the hip-hop community. These words are everything to
me, as writing is my truest form of insight and heartfelt expression…and my
most comfortable way of communicating to others. Just like an emcee, my goal
to inspire you with a vocabulary of visions, hoping to add something to this
sacred art-form of hip-hop. This is my microphone – not spoken, but written --
not heard, but read…as I speak through my microphone with columns, interviews,
editorials…and words. This is our voice and Dubcnn is the platform.
Not only are journalists like emcees, but we are also like Producers. We sit
in our studio apartments on our keyboard, developing concepts for the hip-hop
world -- our keyboards, however, are attached to a monitor and our Pro-Tools
is Microsoft Word. Spell Check and Thesaurus are our Auto-Tune and Reverb.
I’ve even got my own personal DJ behind me to keep the words flowing…his name
is DJ “iPod” and he randomly shuffles through my classic west-coast playlists,
like Death Certificate, Amerikkka’s Nightmare, Niggaz4Life, Music To DriveBy,
No One Can Do It Better, Doggystyle, Life is…Too Short, Livin’ Like Hustlers,
Neva Again, The Chronic, Hall Of Game, etc. My DJ iPod is on-point tonight --
as he is inspiring me to bring these words to the masses.
Dubcnn is the label, the distributor and the publisher – they discover
talented writers, develop them and release their words to the world. I’m
surrounded by a great team of talented people and I’m happy to be a part of
this team. I take these words very seriously, as I’m the new guy here with All
Eyez On Me, like another west-coast classic, as I stand on this soap-box and
quote ‘Pac: It’s Me Against The World.
I’m going to bring you all-exclusive interviews, right off the bat, from Nappy
Roots and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan – with many more outside-the-box
interviews, columns and editorials to follow. Don’t worry, my cell phone
prefix is 310…so I will represent our own backyard as we explore all over the
US…and even overseas. If an artist don’t have love for the West Coast, than I
don’t have love for that artist.
On a side note, keep downloading that “Focus… Presents Dedicated” album,
available for FREE,
right here on this
site! Focus… is one my people and I am honored to be working with him
-- he keeps me focused.
Let’s grow, build, link and connect...we are family. I want to hear from you
guys. I want to write and report your stories and your ideas. Call me at (310)
402-6949 or hit me up online on
MySpace.
Shout-out to my man Teddy Riley, once again you are sitting on the throne!
---Jonathan Hay
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