WHO IS K-RINO?

To say this man is unheard of would be a lie. To label him as just another "underground rapper" would be disrespectful. K-RINO (born Eric Kaiser) is without a doubt the hardest working artist to touch the south. Having never left his roots, K-RINO has earned the right to the title of Underground King, working without rest to become a legend in music game and has yet to be signed by any major labels. I can assure you, K-RINO doesn't want to be signed to a label, he's already created his own.

K-RINO has been in the rap game since 1983. 30 years of non-stop music making. He was recording tracks before some of the most famous rappers today were even born and he hasn't stopped yet. K-RINO started rapping in 1983, he began his battle rapping career in 1984 in Houston, Texas. Three years later he started the group Real Chill and also created S.P.C or South Park Coalition which consisted of several local artists including the infamous D.J. Screw. in 1988 he joined Dope-E's C.O.D.. Along side his father in 1992, K-RINO started Electric City Records and released his first solo project "Stories from the Black Book" in 1993 and a follow up album "Danger Zone" in 1995.

To date, K-RINO has released 21 studio albums from 1993 to the present. His next album, "TheRAPutic" is expected to drop in September of 2013. In 2008 alone, K-RINO released 5 studio albums, all while working on collaboration/compilation projects as well as featuring on other artists singles. From 2002 to 2013, he has dropped 10 collaboration/compilation albums and has been featured on more than 100 singles. This alone makes K-RINO the hardest working man in the game! Lil' Wayne who?

And while K-RINO may technically be considered "underground" his efforts are no different. He's not working with hopes of living the dream, he's working while living the dream. K-Rino has been quoted by Kevin Nottingham as, "the rapper who doesn't own a car, doesn't wear jewelry and has never left the South Park neighborhood" which he was born and raised because he is staying true to his inspiration. His goal is not to get caught up in the superficial lifestyle that consumes hip hop, and who can blame him? K-RINO may not be touring with the likes of Jay Z, T.I., Rick Ross or the rest, but his fan base is just as large in number if not larger. I mean, this man has a twitter account dedicated to and named "K-RINO Quotes". https://twitter.com/K_RinoQuotes

K-RINO is one of the pioneers of the Houston rap game. His work and influence made the careers of Lil' Flip, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug and Mike Jones relevant. He is still working, doing shows, releasing albums and gaining fans and never missing a beat. At the age of 42 years old, he has put in more work than Run DMC, Public Enemy and Dr. Dre, and never stepped foot outside of Houston. But don't think he hasn't stepped outside of the box either. In 2005, K-RINO went on record and dissed the rapper most known for rustling feathers, Eminem. The track can be heard here >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svPA3yHcQaU (K-RINO - "F*** Eminem")

So to all the hip hop heads and aspiring rappers/emcees, if you haven't heard of K-RINO, you have now. Check him out, you won't be disappointed 

-Misses S.A.M- signing out- 

Conflict in Syria.....More Important Than We Know

WARNING: The images you may see are graphic, view at your own discretion.

I will admit that for personal reasons I choose not to watch the local news. Unless we are under the immediate threat of severe weather (which in Oklahoma can happen at any second), then I have a tendency to refrain from watching it. Something grabbed my attention last night and for me it was a wake up call. First let me say that yes, this is a music blog and yes, my passion is still music, but today my focus is something bigger than music, something that is going to effect us all, something that is actually effecting us as we speak, eat, sleep, etc. So many of us, including myself, have been and still are blind to the dealings involving other countries. Either we don't care, we aren't aware or just too afraid of what we may see or hear. I was laying on my couch, looking for something boring on TV to watch when a picture of the white house popped up. My first instinct was to pass it by. I was curious as to why "they" were broadcasting video of the white house live around 11 pm. Then someone finally spoke and said that at any minute, President Obama would make his decision on sending military aid to Syria. After hearing that I was wide awake. I haven't been following the coverage of the Syrian conflict personally and it wasn't because I didn't want to but I didn't know.

Courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Reason405?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

I know you may say, how could anyone not know about what's going on, it's so devastating and you're right, it's beyond devastating. There are events taking place right in front of our eyes but many of us know nothing about it because we are too consumed by Miley Cyrus' "twerking", NFL players suing over concussions and whether Lamar Odom is still with that Kardashian chick. I mean seriously, I started flipping through channels to see what else I could find on the fighting in Syria and even CNN was talking about the Video Music Awards. So I jumped on google and pulled up the news and under Top Stories and to find news on Syria I had to scroll past the NFL lawsuit, something about Verizon and another "top story", before coming to a little picture that started mentioning Syria. I go to Yahoo! News and the same thing, Obama on gun control, Is Miley and her dad OK, Clint Eastwood separates from his wife but nothing "major" about the current standing of this major conflict. I passed 15 articles before finding one about Syria's President. So you mean to tell me that OUR President has to make a decision on sending OUR family and friends into a country that is in the middle of probably one of the most deadly fights right now but WE have to search and dig and scroll past non-relevant information to even find out what is going on?

Courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Reason405?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

WE HAVE TO WAKE UP!!!!!!!! Myself included, so let me now tell you why the war in Syria as it stands right now is MORE important than anything I have written about in the past two days. First, believe it or not, We live in the most hated country in the world. Regardless of what anyone says about immigrants coming to America to live the American dream, they hate us. Look at how they are handling their own, in their territory, what do you think we have to look forward to if we are thrown into it? This is something that we need to be made aware of, we need to be taught about what is going on and how to handle it, and most importantly, we need to know what this conflicts means for us, not only as a country but as a person period. We're quick to send aid and troops to other countries, kill their leaders, destroy their beliefs and give them ours yet we can't control the crime and murders in OUR own cities such as Chicago, Detroit and hell even here in Oklahoma City for that matter.

Courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Reason405?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

I am not saying the U.S. should just sit back and do nothing, for the most part it's not possible, but while we are sitting around watching MTV, BET and VH1, the "real" reality is getting darker by the second and WE are potentially facing World War III. So how do you console your children who may see things that you weren't even aware of? We bash the celebrities for being "bad role models" to our children, yet WE aren't even preparing our children for the devastation that is to come as a result of not only the war in Syria, but the various wars through out this country. So when we can't feed our families, utilize our transportation, have proper clothing, or go to work, because EVERYTHING we do is tied to another country, then what do we do? We can't call Miley, we can't ask Lamar Odom, we can't rely on Verizon for consistent cell phone coverage so are we going to be able to rely on them for this?

It's human nature to be afraid of the unknown and sometimes ignorant to what we aren't used to but if we don't get it together, the outcome for us will much more devastating. Don't just take my word for it. Do the research, get engaged, find out what is going on and do what you can to be ready, for whatever is about to come. Nothing in this world is certain except death. So instead of spending our lives in fear of what is going to come anyway, why not try to find a way to make the ONE world we have a better place for the children that we are bringing into this world. Being separated by oceans and seas doesn't make us exempt from what's happening in other parts of the world.

Here is a link relaying the possible repercussions the United States may face by partaking in the conflict Syria. http://abcnews.go.com/US/repercussions-us-military-strike-syria/story?id=20093229

-Misses S.A.M-

Kendrick Lamar - The Truth?

Everyone knows him, everyone loves him, everyone has at least two of his songs that are constantly playing in your head and if you are not familiar with the face above, I welcome you to planet Earth. Allow me to introduce to you Kendrick Lamar. 

The purpose of today's blog is to give my views on the ever so controversial verse dropped upon us by Mr. Kendrick a.k.a. K. DOT on Big Sean's single titled "Control". Let me begin by saying that this entire piece is MY personal opinion. I am not forcing anyone to see my point, to agree with me or to even agree that Kendrick laid the hottest verse not only on this one song, but on a track period, in a long time. I intend to break down the verse, analyze the words and this is because the controversy that surrounds the now notorious verse (at least in the heads of most unsigned, underground and/or battle rappers) is the fact that Kendrick Lamar dropped names, most of which were East Coast rappers and then he titled himself the King of New York......So, if you are ready lets begin shall we? 

First, it is my strongest opinion that Kendrick is NOT and probably never will be a "battle rapper", you know the type of rapper that focuses on verbally attacking other artists with multiple punchlines, metaphors formed into what we in the rap world call bars. Most battle rappers engage in diss records, which bring about responses from the rapper in which was dissed and then the cycle of rap life continues. I diss you, you diss me, the fans determine who is better, and then on to the next one. Kendrick is a lyricist, an artist if you will. I really dislike giving him the title "rapper" because this man is much more than an entertainer, his music has meaning, each song paints a vivid picture into who this man is and through his music you can feel his words.....or at least you should be able to, if you can't then you may not be on the Kendrick Lamar level. Chief Keef may be the rapper for you. 

Now let me explain why Kendrick's verse on "Control" was NOT a diss track. While Kendrick may be relatively fresh to his fans and the music world, he is by no means new to the music game. Most diss records come from some sort of animosity, beef or down right jealousy between one rapper and another. It can a personal issue, a mis-communication of words, hearsay or just down right publicity motivated. I can assure you that his verse on this single was not motivated by any of the factors above. An example of a "diss track", if it should really be called that would that, is Kendrick's track, "The Jig Is Up" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi2_4esAAFs "explicit language") which is a response to the rapper Shyne calling Kendrick's album Good Kidd M.A.D.D. City trash. Personally, I like Shyne, but he's bananas if he thinks that album was trash. Any who, the "antics" surrounding the jabs each other and landed on Twitter (pictures are below) and this ladies and gentlemen is what and how diss tracks are usually formed. 

So, back to "Control", Kendrick did something that no one in the game, thus far has thought to do, which was create enough buzz in the world of Hip Hop to make it interesting again. I know I for one am played out on all of the songs with all of the same people, with the same beats, the same "storyline", the same big booty hoes, the same crack house and popping mollies and sweating. It's like music today is becoming more of a parody than the actual art it once was. In saying that, Kendrick said on record, what every good artist thinks and feels. That he IS going to be better than the rest. He is going to strive to be the best there is in the game. He's going to put in work and EARN sales, fans and titles. So because he dropped a few names (of EVERY artist he has worked with mind you) now he is being disrespectful and trying to claim something he is not? I say that is a negative. 

So many of you are focusing on the names that he mentioned, thinking because he said a name he's dissing, when in fact, Kendrick gave props to the GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME (again this is MY opinion) Tupac Shakur, and the lyrics state "I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the King of New York, King of the Coast, one hand, I juggle them both,". He then says, What is competition? I'm tryna raise the bar high, Who tryna jump and get it? You better off tryna skydive".

Big Sean's "Control"

The verse describes the declining direction in which rap music is going, referencing popping mollies and rappers turning into Lindsay Lohan. Does anyone else notice how many rappers are wearing leopard print leggings? His goal is to bring the genre of music back to where it once was and I agree that since the departure of Tupac and Biggie, rap music has changed, for the worse. I love the direction K. Dot is going and his style of music and the fact that he is not afraid to challenge even some of the biggest names in Hip Hop and do it without regret. He lit a fire that had yet to be lit. 

To date the majority of the responses received from Kendrick's verse, were of course, from known "battle emcees" such as Papoose, Joel Ortiz and Cassidy and while they're tracks were way more substantial than Kendrick's (because it was not a battle track), they still didn't "murder" is effort. They did exactly what was expected. Had he not laid that verse and named himself King of NY, then NONE of these East Coast rappers would have responded. It's as simple as that. Music is something that has to be felt and understood. You can listen to a song a million times and NEVER hear a word that is said, but when someone says something, if even only a one line, that causes the world to stop, drop what they're doing and send a response, then that my friends is what you call a true artist


I'll finish by saying this. Kendrick Lamar will never be the next Tupac, No one will for that matter, He may not be the next greatest rapper alive, but as long as he continues to pursue that goal and continues to be the cause for others raising the bar, then I would say he's doing exactly what any great motivator would do. He's making it happen instead of waiting for it to happen.



On that note, I will end my opinions here and leave you all with the YouTube to link to the song "Control". Then you decide for yourself.




Misses S.A.M. is signing out !

Is Country-Rap Replacing Hip Hop?

As I was driving to work yesterday morning I was listening to the Joey & Heather Morning Show on Okc's Wild104.9 and the topic of discussion was Nelly's appearance on the remix to the song Cruise by Florida Georgia Line. It was mentioned that Nelly is losing his credibility as a rapper by appearing on this song. This statement peaked my interest. I wonder how someone doing a collaboration on another artist's album could possibly make him lose his credibility, especially when that person is a main stream Rap/Pop artist to start with. Rap music comes from legends such as Run DMC who done one of the first crossovers ever on the single "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith. And while I am sure both groups received some kind of negative feedback from that small group of arrogant individuals that populate our society, for the most part the reception was positive and uplifting if you will. So my question is this, why is there a negative stigma on rappers going country and does it seem like country music is taking over the hip hop world?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmZ9xRO7M9M (Flordia Georgia Line feat. Nelly - Cruise)

It surprised me to hear the remarks about Nelly, especially since this is the same rapper who released his 2004 single, "Over and Over" featuring country singer Tim McGraw and it was one of the best selling singles of his career. Was it the country fans that showed more support or the loyal rap fans? Either way, Nelly made a killing and I still play the song a few times back to back myself. The whole discussion made me curious as to just how many Rap-Country songs are really out there. While I don't consider country music to be one of my personal favorites, I am an avid music lover and I do enjoy any song that has a nice sound, rhythm, beat or feel to it. Kid Rock and Cheryl Crow's "Picture" is one song that will never get old with me.

Upon my quest to find as many Country-Rap or Rap-Country duos as I could, I found a few that even I didn't know existed and I must say that if anyone if the world of Rap should lose cool points for being on a Country record then I would give that honor to Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg). His collaboration on the "song" Superman with Country legend Willie Nelson is one that I am still scratching my head on trying to figure out what made this idea feasible. Ahhhh, yes, I get it now... A little puff puff give if you know what I mean. I am not sure that it should even be considered a song, but nonetheless, Snoop Dogg (or Lion) still has his "stripes" in tact, so why are folks so harsh on Nelly?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-weOXYqWmr8 (Willie Nelson & Snoop Dogg - Superman)

Another single, one that I never would have imagined existed is "Thug Story" by T-Pain and Taylor Swift, or T-Swizzle & T-Weezy. Now, I know this is not a "true" single but the fact that Taylor Swift is rapping about being a gangster and thug is hilarious to me, but I will give Ms. Swift credit, she does rhyme better than some career rappers I've come across in my day. Other artists such as Ludacris and Jason Aldean (Dirt Road Anthem remix), Blake Shelton on his single "Boys Round Here" (although he doesn't feature any rappers, he does sing about doing the dougie and has -for lack of a better term, thugs- in his video line dancing) and then you have the group Rehab, who are considered a country, rap, rock alternative group. Songs like, Bartender have all of the elements of a good country song, with a nice rap beat. I myself heard the track Drinking Problem and immediately started looking for more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aED6ONapfVA (Rehab - Drinking Problem)

So, is it safe to say that Country is moving in on the Hip Hop world or is it just a few mixtures between the two and we are so used to separation that the thought of combining the two genres upsets us. Nas himself said Hip Hop is dead, so are country artists trying to revive it? I'll let you be the judge, for me music is expression and if Nelly wants to express himself on a country track while Taylor Swift expresses herself over auto-tune, then more power to them both..... I'll leave you with the link to a few CouRap/RaCo songs and you be the judge for yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4r00SJHsI (Jason Aldean feat. Ludacris - Dirt Road Anthem)

Until next time, this is Misses S.A.M, signing out !

2 Unlucky Chainz

As the world found out on August 22nd, 2013, 2 Chainz a.k.a Tauheed Epps (or the tour bus on which the rapper was a passenger) was pulled over about midnight by the Oklahoma City Police Department. OKC PD have stated the tour bus had a "broken" taillight and was the reason for the bus being pulled over. First let me say, that just because the word "broken" was used to describe the faulty equipment does not mean that the physical appearance of the tail light was busted and shattered, etc. Broken can mean anything from a burnt out bulb to missing the cover itself. Now as a resident of Oklahoma City, I am very familiar with the OKC PD and the way they work.

I will not say that I support the actions of the Oklahoma City Police Department, nor do I support the fact that 2 Chainz and his entourage are upset at OKC for doing what any officers would do when someone refuses to abide by their orders. Am I saying the police were justified no, do I believe 2 Chainz and his crew are riding on a bus without a any form of what the government calls "illegal substances", helllll no, but these two issues aren't mine concern. My issue surrounding this whole 'act' is that immediately after the news broke, its made to be a racial issue. I can assure you that unless the bus these dudes were riding in had 2 Chainz written across the side, there is no way you can see who is inside a "million dollar bus" as one of the rappers fans stated. I understand that we as a people feel the need to take up for those we idolize, especially here in Oklahoma, where we are so far behind when it comes to entertainment, that we often forget the reality of whats in front of us. I'm hearing people say that they were targeted for being rich and black and that OKC just wanted to mess with him. Really? 2 Chainz..... he is so rich that he is targeted by OKC police and yet the only thing he is charged with is obstruction of justice? Have we not had even larger rappers in this city that could have easily been the same type of target? 

Let me break it down like this, I have 2 opinions on the matter. The whole thing was staged (by both the police and 2 Chainz) for publicity or his tour bus had a faulty tail light, the bus was full of weed smoke, the driver got off the bus, the others locked the doors, a warrant was obtained and they went to jail. For the people of this city to say it is because of his race, makes Oklahoma look worse than what we probably already did before. This city is small and for what it is worth, the 2 Chainz incident created more buzz in this city in 9 hours than James Harden did leaving the Thunder for the Rockets the entire 2013 season. OKC will now forever be known for locking up one of the most popular rappers of 2013, that's a given, but to say it was because he was black is down right stupid. Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion) and several other highly publicized weed smoking rappers have come into and gotten out of OKC without so much as a second look.

In my 29 years of living in this large but small city there have only been 2 other celebrities to have been arrested and guess what, both were white. Macaulay Culkin in 2004 (jhttp://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/macaulay-culkin-drug-bustustice?)  and Bryan Abrams (Color Me Badd) (http://www.tmz.com/2008/09/08/color-me-badd-guy-jailed-doesnt-adore-amor/) , hell every time he gets drunk have taken that same ride to 201 N. Shartel Avenue, but it was never a word mentioned that it was due to their celebrity or their race

Moral of the story is this, OKC is a great place for entertainers to come and leave with a profit. We're loyal fans and we go hard for those we love, but don't forget that at the end of the day, you're still a person before a celebrity and that doesn't exempt you from the law, whether the outcome is good or bad. With that being said, 2 Chainz should look up to his peers (or down since he is 6'5") T.I. and Lil' Wayne (also notorious for having their buses pulled over) and start traveling by private jet #TRUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

This is my opinion and I'm sticking to it - Misses S.A.M. - signing out

Miley, Miley, Miley

I am sure by now everyone is as tired as I am of hearing about Miley Cyrus and her VMA performance. Don't get me wrong, Miley made a fool out of herself, her stylist needs to be double fired for not making sure her "assets" were properly fitted and that fiance of hers needs to do a bit more "validating" his future wife, but aside from all of the tackiness that surrounded the performance, we need to realize that the whole purpose is entertainment. No one who viewed the same show as I can say that watching Hannah Montana attempt to twerk what "booty meat" she doesn't have and Robin Thicke be molested by a Disney star wasn't entertaining. I admit the foam finger had me in awe but nevertheless, MTV got the ratings it intended, Miley has a new fan base and Robin Thicke, well he still gets to go home to Paula Patton at night, so what is all the fuss about?

For those who aren't aware, Miley Cyrus is grown. She may be acting like a hormone raging teen, but the truth of the matter is, She's NOT Hannah Montana anymore, and the world needs to stop addressing her as if that is who she is. Is it OK for women to put themselves into the limelight in this manner, to post half naked pictures and videos of them twerking in front of God and everybody, maybe not in a "moral" aspect, but if that is the perception and the life that these girls want to live, then there is nothing we can do to stop them...... Once they have reached Miley's level that is..... Instead of blaming her for being a "HO" on drugs or trying to be accepted by the hip hop community, try looking at the lifestyle of not only Miley, but other childhood stars. There is something in the entertainment world that causes young women to want become sex goddesses as soon as they hit 18 after living their lives on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Even young boys in the business have grown up to turn into drug addicts, alcoholics and even committing suicide, so one would think the solution would be to find the root of the problem, not bash and create hate towards these entertainers who are doing exactly what you pay them for, TO ENTERTAIN....


As a parent and a parent of 2 small girls, I don't condone Miley's behavior but I understand what she is attempting to do, she just needs to know that there is a better way to do it. She needs and wants attention, she needs love and there is something that her father didn't provide her that she is out searching for, so to the Billy Ray Cyrus' of the world who are watching your daughters from a distance, not wanting to "run" them off or make them feel like they can't make their own decisions, don't wait until your girls are in Miley's shoes to try and tell them that what they are doing is out of control. Billy Ray himself needs to stop hiding behind Twitter or whatever dark cave he is in and help his daughter. There is a better way for her to use her body to express her womanhood............

Until next time, I'm Misses S.A.M and I'm signing out --