Go to War - Johnny Magnum

 

This was more of a Lyrical Quest for Knowledge for me than a Spoken Word/Rap piece. Originally I started writing this with my frustration of the way things went in my life but then towards then end I was inspired to respond to my own questions/concerns in what I can only explain as a Subconscious Omni-Presence and it gave me a level of clarity I’ve never had before. Take a Listen and see if you understand, Feel Free to comment or ask any questions about my thought process if you don’t.

Audio (Mobile Phone Friendly): http://filesocial.com/lneia7

 

THE RANT

Let me introduce me, I'll tell you what the truth be
Internal civil war never more we called a truce see
You gotta understand I’m a man its my duty
To protect myself and my Fam from these groupies

So I begin to dissect dialect with intelligence
Born as a perfectionist, saw it as a sign, no penmanship
Gangsta & a Gentlemen, Hell bound but I'm heaven sent
Guided by the Lord but the Devil got my GPS

I try not to be egregious, but it only makes me madder
two sides, one is badder, cant have Johnny without the Magnum
Can't have Mag without the Problems, long division hard to solve him
Hatred cultivating, I don’t wanna be the gardener

THE PRAYER

It's a little shop of horrors in my soul no detours
Lusting food for thought, just feed me, I'll see more
I'm tryna to open my eyes, heart and mind
But Why do demons get stronger when I start to grind

Yes I have some questions I want answered before I die
If God can't rid the world of the Devil, How can I?
How can I be expected to accomplish such a task?
Then I drop to my knees, fold my hands and ask why?

THE RESPONSE

My son u have been chosen, I feel your losing hope and
I want to come to Aid but then your position would be worthless
You need to know your worth is immeasurable, I’m telling u
I blessed u with Free Will, so I can't tell u what u betta do

I've told u what to Never do, just follow the commandments
I gave u the gift of insight, Read the Bible understand it
See I've already Planned it, so Stand up against Satan
There's a Holy War waging, Life is just a Boot Camp

This was a featured track off my debut mixtape, African American Idol available for free Download and/or Streaming Here

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F.O.E. to Success: Fame or Education?

     

 

This question disturbs me on so many levels, Especially since I am included in the generation where it seems to have started. On a regular basis I've noticed people wanting the "American Dream" of fame and fortune yet have NO desire to educate themselves.

 

How did the idea that you can get what you want the "easy" way get embedded into our culture? This mindset would be laughable if it weren't so depressing that it was true. I mean seriously, what type of epic parenting and societal failures have we endured that you must choose between the two? There is NO EASY WAY to success. It takes perseverance and knowledge to be productive. Even if you aren’t technically "smart" by school standards, you still must have a comprehension of what is and has always been, to ensure you do not make the same pitfalls as those before you.

The top 5% of Richest People in the US that run this country have NEVER chosen between these two aforementioned. They had enough self awareness and/or guidance to know they are NOT mutually exclusive by any means. Whether it be higher learning, home schooling, or real world experience... Learn Something and Be Successful. If by now you haven't gotten the full meaning behind the Tortoise and the Hare it's: Stop trying to take the fast lane, you're going burn yourself out sprinting while the marathon runners pass you by. Take your time. Build a strong foundation based on education and layer your fame upon it, so that it lasts. In the words of T.I. “life is about who makes it, not who makes it the fastest, Drive Slow Homie”… Actually in light of his newest “Situation” scratch that, Let me make my own....

 

Racing to the Top is an Admirable feat to Accomplish, but do you have enough Knowledge to STAY there?

~Johnny Magnum ©2010

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Single Mother Appreciation… from a 5year Old

Mobile Link to Video

By: @SexyLipsMarie

As I was watching this I literally cried! That really touched my heart. He is so sweet. Look at this 5 year old rapping to the "Hey Mamma - Tupac" Instrumental.

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Martin Luther King Jrs Dream: Blacks Are Killing It!

by @butterfliesblue

There is nothing wrong with celebrating one's ethnicity, but it comes a problem when you let it define you as a person. I weep for generations ahead because like Alice Walker wrote in The Color Purple, "The more things change the more they stay the same". Part of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech says, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character". This sounds good and all, but I feel like blacks are killing the dream. One good example of how this dream is being killed is BET which is supposed to represent "blackness".

BET which stands for Black Entertainment Television was started in 1980 as a network for blacks. It started out as a network that was dignified as well as addressed issues in the black community. Now that BET has been taken over by someone other than the founders, it has gone under much criticism because of the quality that has been lost over the years. Co-founder Sheila Jackson has even said, "I don't watch it. I suggest to my kids that they don't watch it". Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder has had an episode about BET which can be seen on Youtube. Even the few times that I watch BET, I've watched it go from Cita's World to Uncut to these circus of award shows.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Civil Rights advocate of equality. We have a holiday dedicated to him where blacks brag about not having to go to work, and yet there was a time when blacks couldn't even work for pay. If we as people not only promote but also believe what he was for, the why are we separating ourselves? You can't have your cake and eat it too. This is one of the reasons that I can't support things such as HBCU's, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the NAACP. Also with immigration reform being the way it is, I'm tired of blacks making comments about other ethnicities as if they were never mistreated. Also how can we as people continue to support things such as BET without at least trying to voice our opinion to make it a positive image? Trust me if there is a lack of support then the execs will listen. Judge not lest ye be judged. Have we forgotten what our ancestors have fought for? At what point will we stop being referred as the "black community" and just be Americans? We can't want to be treated as equals as long as we continue to separate ourselves based on race.

 

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@MyNameIsBizzle -Truth Music (JayZ & RickRoss)

Contact Info:

Twitter: @MyNameIsBizzle 

Website: http://www.iambizzle.com 

YouTube: Youtube.com/playbizzle21 

Myspace: Myspace.com/playbizzle 

 

Mobile Phone Link

 

 

Bizzle, a Hip Hopper from Southern Cal now residing in Houston, is using music to spread the word to the masses. Gaining under ground popularity opened his eyes to the widely influential nature of Rap his goal is to make a change in the demeaning nature it is associated with. He is no typical "Christian Rapper" and only goes by that genre because of what others call him, but he simply speaks his mind to show that you can be successful without inspiring society in a negative manner.

 

So far he has worked with and opened for some major names in the biz such as Hip Hops notables including Nelly, David Banner, Game, Chino XL, NeYo and T.I to name a few. His lyrical delivery and content is very interesting and the most important part ACCURATE. Bizzle feels Hip Hop nowadays lacks accuracy and I agree, too many artist are trying to do what's popular instead of being themselves. This dude has turned down multiple deals so far but that hasn't stopped his access to the Hip-hop scene on MediaTakeOut, WorldstarHipHop and many syndicated Radio station websites totaling over 1Million views so far and over 50,000 downloads on his mixtape, "The Messenger" released in march of this Year. I am definitely going to look out for more tracks from him because his wordplay is on point and he speaks truth. Let me know what you think...

 

 

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So You Wanna Be A Rap Star?

 

So I checked out the Forbes/Billboard Top 20 Artists Article and dang, Hip-hop Greats in 2009 grossed over $300mil! I see why so many people want to hop into the rap game. But of course my over analytical self wanted to dive deeper and see how Hip-hop ranks as an overall business and was quite surprised. The Top 20 Hip-hop greats barely ranked in the Top 250 of American CEOs (Forbes Magazine) when compared side by side. Hell, Jay-Z, who topped the list at $63mil, didn't even make Top 20 of overall Celebs. Pretty shocking

 

Other Interesting Forbes Facts:

1) Oprah Winfrey Grossed $315million BY HER SELF!!! That woman is an absolute monster. I mean, I always knew she had money but when you put it in the perspective of: If Oprah wanted to, she could literally BUY Hip-hop... it's just makes an unfathomable amount of money very real. She's got enough money to buy every US Citizen a McDouble... and still get a Foot long from Subway. (Pay your own Sales Tax though, you know how Oprah do)

2) Rich vs. Wealthy. Confused? Let me explain... How I see it, Rich is very attainable for the average Joe by simple luck. But, if you aspire to only be rich; plan on being broke shortly thereafter! MC Hammer WAS rich, as was Vanilla Ice and even MIMS (for that good 6months). Unfortunately, the uneducated tend to acquire mass amounts of Liquid Assets (Cash, Diamonds, Chains etc.) instead of Long Term Equities. (These are basic business terms, if you don't know them then you WILL NOT make it in "the Biz").

To put it in monetary terms what the difference is... the top 6 Hip-hop earners of 2009 grossed $167million while: Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, John Lennon & Jimi Hendrix totaled $168million last year... No, that's not a misprint, LAST YEAR!!! That's the difference between being rich & being wealthy. Own property, own a business, own YOURSELF. If you are sending out your creative works which aren't Copyrighted, registered with ASCAP, Trademarked, etc. then expect to get G'd, it'll soften the blow once it happens. Being rich only lasts a lifetime, while wealth will stretch through generations.

3) The Top 20 Hip-hop greats have averaged $15mil each ($75mil total) over the last 5 years; while William C Weldon, CEO of Johnson & Johnson who started as a Sales Rep with a Biology Degree, has made more at $78mil (NOT including the $26mil in stocks he also owns in the company).

Ivan G. Seidenberg, Verizon CEO, started his climb up the "Corporate Ladder" being a Cable Splicer's Assistant and now makes as much as Diddy without having to dance in every Verizon commercial or flee clubs after his coworkers have shot someone in the face (not to mention he also owns $57mil more in stocks).

 

The common thread? Education, Hard Work & Determination. For some odd reason people who have lyrical skills (or THINK they have them) think rap and education are mutually exclusive. Where this came from, I do not know, but reverse your logic. How can learning about worldly issues, expanding your vocabulary, working closely with your demographic, understanding how to write/negotiate contracts and gaining real life experience hurt your career? Build a strong foundation from the ground up or at least have a backup plan because you WILL crumble.

 

I guess the bottom line is... GET TO WORK!!! Being a celeb is a job, just like everything else. There is no easy way to get the elusive "American Dream". So before encouraging a friend or your children to skip school for a celebrity career of fame and fortune, please, do some research. Realize that they are non-recognizable people worth BILLIONS more than your favorite celeb to dance to in the club.

 

Educate Yourself before you Dedicate Yourself. Can You Hear me now? GOOD

 

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