Rappers w/ Lisps, Freestyle vs Written Battles, Deliver and Content go hand in hand & Official “DOWN” video from DuBBoro

FREESTYLE VS WRITTEN BATTLES
Battling has always been a staple in the hip hop game. With the success of the up and coming written battle leagues it has pretty much become its on sub genre of hip hop. What makes it unique enough to become its on sub genre? its not over a beat, its pre written, all acapella and the majority of the time the know their opponents well in advance. Its different from the days of freestyle battles over beats when battles started in cyphers full of dope mc’s.

I can’t really say which one I like more bc I came from the days of freestyling but most of these cats now trying to freestyle are an embarrassment to hip hop in general. Just a bunch of ramblin about nothing, not rhyming at all and not making any sense at all. Stuttering, “Yo I said,I said” and hypemen backing up your bars that are supposedly “off the top” are not part of freestyling. So that being said, I’d rather not hear or watch anybody rap horrible but I would much rather hear a bad written battle than a bad freestyle battle. That just sounds like a couple of crackheads drunk and on a binge trying to rap. Its hard to find a great freestyle mc these days, but they do exist. In the past that was just part of being an mc but now its pretty much a lost art. On the rare occasion you do see a real battle like this its absolutely insane! I’ve seen cats come up w/ raps on the spur of the moment off the top of their heads doper than most cats can come up w/ in their whole careers. The days of Scribble Jam, WRC, Blaze Battles (which I was in), Rhyme Warz (I was champ for 2 yrs – shameless plug), etc… were the golden era of battling. Just look up some of those battles and you’ll see what I mean.

Now when it comes to the newer acapella, written battles, you either love them or hate them. I personally love any type of good battle & being that its prepared and written ahead of time, there’s a much better chance that you’ll see a classic battle. The thing is that its just as much snapping and poetry as it is hip hop. Which is why alot of freestyle fans hate it and I completely understand why. I personally love the intensity and how personal these battles can get. They are built up for months and alot of time the tension is real. Its the best way to settle differences lyrically. You can also hear the punchlines alot better and the rappers actual performances are on another level in these type of battles. The worst is when they choke, forget bars and can’t freestyle so there is just this awful awkward silence. That’s just as bad as the drunk fratboy freestyles u here online or the crackhead drunks I spoke of before! The best battle mc’s are the ones who mix their writtens and can freestyle to adapt to a situation.
Like I said I don’t know which I like best because any good battle is fun to witness. It just seems that the written battles get alot more attention now because of the lack of dope freestyle artists out there. But feel free to leave comments and debate on the page, that’s what its here for.
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Top 5 Rappers w/ Lisps

Notorious B.I.G.

I heard a rapper w/ a lisp so bad I thought he was speaking another language when he was rapping so I had to compile a list haha! The list of lisps was supposed to be a comical list but I started to realize that some of the best artists in the history of hip hop had lisps…don’t believe me, check it out. In no certain order…

1. Biz Markie
A hip hop legend that has put out some of the most memorable hip hop songs ever! “Nobody Beats The Biz”, “The Vapors”, “Just A Friend” & “Pickin’ Boogers” are just a few of his well known songs. You can also catch him on a ton of commercials, Nick Cannon’s Wildin’ Out & my daughters favorite show Yo Gabba Gabba. Also could compete with Shabba Ranks and Craig Mack for weirdest looking artist ever.

2. Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap is 1 of my all time favorite lyricists! Listening to him in my cousin Neil’s attic/bedroom over and over, analyzing the lyrics and the way he explained his point w/ so much detail is what made me wanna learn to tell my stories w/ music. 1 of the most raw, real and “gangster” cats in the biz. Also one of the most respected. Respected enough that noone is gonna call him out to his face on having a lisp haha

3. Gucci Mane
We all know he sounds like he’s rapping, if you call what he does rapping, while he’s gargling marbles. I used to think it was the gold fronts he had but he took them out and I still can’t understand 80% of what he says. The man w/ 1 of the dumbest tattoos in history also has a toungue 5x too big for his mouth…can u tell i’m not too fond of gucci?

4. Eric Sermon
1/2 of the Legendary EPMD, who are 1 of the best duo’s in the game and the man who introduced the world to cats like Redman & Keith Murray. You can really hear it in his interviews. It’s not nearly as noticeable when he raps because of his signature slow flow, but you can definitely hear it.

5. Biggie
90% of the people you ask for their top 5 MC’s dead or alive are gonna have B.I.G on that list. He could spit in any style over any typle of beat. Lyricist doesn’t even explain what Biggie was. He was a game changer & 1 of the most influential artists ever…and had a pretty horrible lisp.

So basically a list that was supposed to be comical turned into a motivational list for any kid that wants to rap, speech impediment or not…for real.

Delivery and Content go hand in hand

I’m not gonna get into a long drawn out speech about this because its pretty simple. In order to be the total package you need to be a complete artist. You could have the best concepts and most clever punchlines ever but if you sound horrible rapping them noone cares. The same goes for rappers who have great beats and style but absolutely no substance. You have to master the art of creating a song, not just rapping. Some of the most intellegent lyricists in the world have cds that have damn near bored me to sleep. If you have no energy or any real soul in your songs how do you expect people to really believe in your message? If you lose a listeners attention they’ll never hear what you have to say. Now there also the cats who have tons of energy and you hear a song, get all hype and go buy the cd to realize this dude ain’t sayin a damn thing. These my friends are the 1 hit wonders of the world and the club rappers that can’t make an album to save their lives. The trick is to be able to tell your story and get your message across while grasping the listeners attention to the point they can’t and don’t wanna turn the song. That comes from being able to DELIVER great CONTENT with all your energy. You gotta mean it, put your heart and soul into your songs. Most importantly…LEARN WHAT A CADENCE IS AND CHOOSE DOPE BEATS! Alot of the younger cats don’t know how many different ways you can say something so they sound the same in every song, just a different beat. Be you, be original and try to find ways to say things noone has ever heard before. That’s what makes you stand out in a fans mind. Don’t try to be like the dude on the radio, try to be the dude on the radio…or better! A good book sucks if someone who can barely read is trying read it…and the best story in the world can put you to sleep if the narrator sucks…CONTENT + DELIVERY = GREAT MUSIC

Official Video for DUB-BORO’s “DOWN”

Lose The Local Mentality, 2

Sorry for the delay folks. I know the last couple of blogs have been 2 to 3 weeks aprart. I hope y’all didn’t forget about me haha I promise im back to posting every 7-10 days….here we go!

SOHH.com TRUE GRIT WINNERS!

SOHH.com, 1 of the largest & most respected websites on the planet, took the time to honor 20 of the top indie artists coming up in the game. Out of thousands of artists considered, they had a panel choose the top 20 artist who had the total package and the most “True Grit”. The winners included MC’s like 106 & Park vet and Jermaine Dupri’s former So So Def artist SunNY, Digable Planets member Doodlebug w/ his new band & repping NC, Ty Bru and Yours Truly aka Me aka Ed E. Ruger for those that still dont get it haha
This was a huge honor to be 1 of the 20 winners and placed on the front page of a huge site ON MY BIRTHDAY!

Heres my write up and the link to the page w everyones music…I highly suggest u check these cats out and shout out again and huge thank you to SOHH.com for the write up

“It doesn’t take a wild stallion to spot talent as definitive as North Carolina’s own Ed E. Ruger when it comes down to dope rhymes and doper beats. With an ability to mesh himself to any sound he lays vocals over, Ed E. Ruger stole our attention at gunpoint with his style and content that immediately draws comparisons to other Greensboro city slickers likeLittle Brother. His social appeal? Ridiculous. Throw MySpace’s “Tom” in the bunch and you’re staring at over 30,000 loyal fans with supporters bopping their heads to Ruger in the form of 500-plus FanReach and 200-plus FaceBook boys and gals. With an appeal that focuses primarily on 25-34 year olds, it’s Ed E Ruger’s non-stop grind that caught us. Doing multiple shows each month around his town, it’s a old-fashioned mystery as to when this cowboy can slow down. If our breakdown of why he’s earned a spot on our gritty list ain’t enough, then take a glance at the “other” co-signs he’s received. Having his tracks featured on “The Boondocks” and “Breaking Bad” is a pretty good look, but it’s hitting the same stage alongside rap stars including Public Enemy, Wiz Khalifa, Method Man, Redman, Young Buck, The Clipseand Cassidy that has us wondering if we should start up our own SOHH Records and lasso him in to a deal. Western words and witty descriptions can sell him alone but if you take a listen to his music, you’ll quickly see why Ed deserves multiple listens. On songs like “Ziplocked & Loaded,” Ed doesn’t lie about contemplating a street life but allows his conscience to save him (“And I don’t feel right everyday punching a clock/Day dreaming about keys you can’t fit in a lock/That’s until I had a flashback about being pop/And realized where I’d be if it wasn’t for hip-hop”). While Ruger’s able to spit about different sides of reality, you can hear how deep his grit can grind on tracks like “Dummy Disease” (“This sh*t ain’t even fun no more, this ain’t rapping/Half of these tracks should come with closed captions/Nowadays, deejays scream instead of scratching/I just give them dap and try to keep from laughing…”). If you are one of the many people who are looking for new flavor in your ears, then take off those Beats By Dre and listen to what Ed E. Ruger has to say. He’s not your average rhyme slinger.”
-SOHH.com Staff

That’s one hell of a co-sign…thanks SOHH.com

Here’s where u can check out the rest of the winners list…including my crew member,biz partner & homie Ty Bru!

SOHH.com/contest/true-grit

Expect monster collabs from me and a few of the other winners real soon!

FREE MUSIC!

“IN THE CLOUDS” feat Stitchy C
Prod by DSB 7 Champ CarsonPalmer
http://soundcloud.com/ederuger/in-the-clouds-ed-e-ruger-ft

“JUST CUZ IM BUZZIN”
http://soundcloud.com/ederuger/15-just-cuz-im-buzzin-by-ederuger

“THANK THE STREETS” feat Drawzilla & Seven
Produced by JJ the Jenius
http://soundcloud.com/ederuger/thank-the-streets-ft-drawzilla

Snippets of my new cd “ZIPLOCKED & LOADED”
http://soundcloud.com/ederuger/01-ziplocked-loaded-sampler

Albums Available online everywhere!
ITunes,Amazon,Rhapsody,etc

THINK GLOBAL, NOT LOCAL!

The crabs in a bucket mentality is the downfall of many artists and scenes of all genres. Alot of people have been touching on this subject lately,including 9th Wonder & Joe Budden just to name a few. Hopefully this will resonate with a few of you and you can use it to elevate yourselves to another level while these other losers sit back and whine about everything under the sun.
The point is that the world is bigger than your block! its not a difficult concept its actually pretty simple. I’ve never really “fit in” anywhere bc I say what’s on my mind and don’t really respond well to authority and that’s portrayed all throughout my music (look up Iconoclast). When I came up as a white battle rapper before the 8 mile phenomenon I had to be ruthless and a little more raw than most just to prove I was worthy to even be in the scene. This was before myspace made it easy for every rap fan to be a wrapper (wrapper = wanna be rapper…shout to Gweedo Girl for that, lol) I had to scratch and claw my way to the top. When I stopped battling I started booking my own shows outside of my own hometown because I couldn’t get shows there. Once I got online I reached out to cats w/ the same style of music bc I was “too street” , “too controversial” or in some cases just “too white” to work w the cats in the area. So I stayed persistent and kept expanding my fanbase in other areas, such as, Texas, Tenessee, Kentucky, Cali, even Germany and ended up on songs w/ cats like Bun B, KS aka Krumb Snatcha, Wax &  more…all from networking not money. Basically, I made my own lane and kept it movin. I didn’t wait on anyone to make it happen for me HERE. Now I book the biggest show in my hometown and have gained respect from the scene as a whole. Every city,state,etc the music scene is run by “cliques”. which is something I’ve never been able to get down with. This is where alot of rappers start turning into angry fans instead of mc’s and start pointing fingers…F*CK THAT! I ignore all that BS, remove myself from the situation and network w/ sites, Djs, artists, promoters, etc that think on a bigger scale…a global scale! Let these crabs in the bucket argue with each other and step all over them as you climb to the top. If you have a true grind and work ethic nothing can stop you from making money. Im not sayin me or you is gonna be the next Jay Z, but there’s enough money in this biz to go around. You just have to remove your blinders and open your mind to the world outside your so called hoods! Just let the the haters hate. That’s just free promo. Plus, the more time they waste complaing the longer they will be stuck in that barrel of crabs while you create your own path to success.

MY FAVORITE 5 (Lexington Style) BBQ JOINTS

1 Country BBQ
Sweet and spicy. Doesn’t even need the sauce but even better w/ it.

2 Stameys
Been around forever and I grew up on this place. Just about as classic of a lex style bbq sandwich as you can get

3 Carter Brothers
Bangin! Its right in between the 1st 2 as far as sweet and spicy

4. Smithfields
HUGE sandwiches and they taste great! We always hit them up on the way back in town

5. Cookout
Yes I said cookout! Smaller but cheaper so it balances out…be prepared bc this one is pretty damn spicy!

CAN Fans Change Radio? NEW SONG “DUMMY DISEASE”, Wax to Def Jam?! I Love Finding Dope MC’s! (10 Inside), BIG Show Updates

*NEW HEAT*

Ed E. Ruger ft DJ Phillie Phresh
“DUMMY DISEASE”
Produced by JJ The Jenius

-Click link to play-

http://soundcloud.com/ederuger/dummy-disease-ed-e-ruger-ft-dj

New track off ZIPLOCKED & LOADED that addresses a few of the problems in the rap game through the eyes of Iconoclast Crew’s  Ed E.Ruger & DJ Phillie Phresh

How Fans CAN Change Radio

I know people think its all the DJ’s fault that radio sucks now but that’s not really the case. Granted the DJ’s that spin trash at clubs & on mixtapes aren’t helping the matter but we are talking Radio. I personally know tons of Radio DJ’s & 85% hate what they have to play on a daily basis, but its their job. When they do mixtapes, clubs,internet radio,etc they usually have full control over what they play. At WORK (The Station), however, they have a boss, sponsors, labels, etc to answer to and pretty much a set playlist to work with when they get there. Its a business & runs with a chain of command like any business. With that in mind, think of what you would do if you were at a restaurant & they made you choose from the same 3 items everyday even if that’s not what you ordered. How bout if you ordered some shoes in a certain color & they sold you some busted ass shoes & wouldn’t let you return them? You’d  cuss someone out,leave,complain,let everyone else to know not to go back or all the above right? THEN WHY NOT CALL & COMPLAIN ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT ON THE RADIO?! How many of yall regularly listen to the hip hop stations in your cities? For those of you that do, how often do you find yourselves in conversations with friends,family,co workers or even random strangers about how much you hate what they play & how often they play it? Why not take it a step further and TELL THE STATION?! For those that don’t listen to Hip Hop Radio stations anymore because of that but still download music off the internet & still play your own cd’s of artists you like…don’t  you wish they would play the artists YOU & YOUR FRIENDS rock with instead of the garbage they force feed the listeners? Call and let them know!
Now I’m not saying call & request all my songs or every track of a rapper that lives on the same street as you. That’s just as much of an issue. DJ’s aren’t stupid & most have been doing this a long time. They know all the tricks of the trade & a record has to have a buzz for them to play it if its not a mainstream record. You getting your friends to call 100 times about a song no one but you has heard isn’t creating a buzz, its annoying the sh*t outta the DJ’s while they are at work. I’m sure they’ll remember your name & the song but probly not in a good way. Now, if those same 100 calls, those Convo’s w/ fam & coworkers were calls,emails,etc directly to the station telling them how much they’ve gone downhill recently & how much yall hate the music they play, eventually they’ll start playing better music. Any business owner will pay attention if their business has an excessive amount complaints. What if the complaints started to outnumber requests? Maybe then the playlist would reflect what the listeners REALLY want & not the best of the 20 worst songs out. That’s the lesser of 20 evils haha!
There is TONS of good hip hop out now! There’s no shortage of dope MC’s out all over the country and in tons of different styles. You just have to look. The new generation of hip hop heads now days know who’s dope & where to find them. Those same cats young & old don’t really listen to the radio because they aren’t on the same vibe. “Commercial” rap has turned into ignorant stereotypes that hurt Hip Hop as a culture. The sad part is that its honestly only a handful of trash artists that the labels push to the media the makes the rest of the good artists look bad. Call the stations and tell them about the artists you like but more importantly tell them about the ones you DON’T LIKE the maybe they’ll HAVE TO LISTEN!
Maybe that way it won’t take waiting 2-5 yrs b4 the casual mainstream listeners get the pleasure of hearing cats like Yelawolf,Wiz Khalifa, Slaughterhouse, Odd Future, Cy Hi da Prynce,etc & they can hear good music all the time like us true hip hop heads!

I Love Finding DOPE MC’s!

Every so often I come across an MC or group of MC’s that I’ve never heard & can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on. Some I found just searching music online others I looked up when I found out we’d be rocking shows with them. Here’s a list of 10 MC’s that I think are ridiculously dope & you guys should check them out. I’m not gonna go into their backgrounds & all that so just trust me & go google & youtube these guys immediately!

1. Yelawolf

2. Wax

3. Odd Future

4. Freddie Gibbs

5. Big Krit

6. Cy Hi Da Prynce

7. Locksmith

8. Rittz

9. Roach Gigz

10. Hopsin

Its funny how the world works sometimes haha! As I was writing this I went and checked a few websites for updates like always & what do ya know?! WAX IS OFFICIALLY DEF JAM’S NEWEST ARTIST!!! This is a guy that My DJ/Best friend Phillie Phresh pulled up on youtube and told me to check out. He was in his Kitchen recording w a stage mic & making “music edit videos” out of any and everything. What got my attention was a freestyle he did called “NEW CRACK” he filmed while driving in his car…CRACK is right! He worked hard traveled everywhere got millions of youtube views & deserves it. Here’s a collab we did along w/ Sean Boog off my previous CD “Lights Out”

WAX of DEF JAM,SEAN BOOG of Hall Of Justus/Duck Down’s Away Team & MYSELF on “DO IT FOR THE RUSH” http://t.co/UVFl9UQ
Produced by JJ The Jenius

Be on the lookout for a NEW collab w/ Me,Wax & Herbal T called “Nationally Rollin” in the near future. Go download Wax’s new mixtape “Scrublife” NOW! The links are all over Youtube.com/Waxandherbalt

MORE BIG SHOWS

4/1 (Dub Step) Greene Street Greensboro,NC
12th Planet, Vaski & DJ Phillie Phresh

4/22 Big Krit, Freddie Gibbs, Smoke Dza, Ed E.Ruger w/ Iconoclast Crew & LGi Ent

Get your tix now @ etix.com or greenestreetclub.com
THE ABOVE SHOWS WILL SELL OUT!

4/29 Triad Takover is Back @ SWET
Hosted By US aka Iconoclast Crew
Performances by
Jae Blacc & Young dirt
Sam Fahn
Khan
Arsenik
Ty Bru w/ MTTS
F Dux
Kain

ALL AGES $7 doors @ 9 Show @ 10
4/30 Queen City Cypher
@ Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte,NC
Hosted By Brown Bag Special
Ed E.Ruger w/ Iconoclast Crew
F-Dux
Define Jones
Ty Bru w/ Shamus & R.O.
Lotta Man
D.R. Universal
Charles Herron

ALL AGES $8 doors @ 8 show @ 9

Apostle AP Benefit Shows

March 24
@ the Breakfast Club Charlotte,NC

March 25
@ jack sprat
Chapel Hill,NC

June 5
@ Southland Ball Room
Raleigh,NC

July 10
@ Greene Street
Greensboro,NC

Quantity, Quality Or Both?, 10 NC Albums You Need, Rapper Face Tats & New CD Reviews/Features

NEW CD REVIEWS/FEATURES

Ok let’s get the shameless promo started…

*NEW FEATURE in YES! WEEKLY* Workingman’s grind: Ed E. Ruger’s new album is a slice of blue-collar hip-hop life http://t.co/giok0oR

Ziplocked & Loaded Album Review on th UK’s own RagoMagazine.com

http://bit.ly/eY6p8I

Ziplocked & Loaded CD Review on HypeNC.com

http://j.mp/hFH5op

Ziplocked & Loaded CD Review on GhaniGautama.com

http://www.ghanigautama.com/blog/?p=326

Click here to get the 1st glimpse of “Ziplocked & Loaded” -> http://t.co/aPoYQIt <-

YOU can NOW buy “Ziplocked & Loaded” for $9.99 or download your favorite singles for $.99 on iTunes http://bit.ly/hXBV30

Amazon link …go buy the new album “Ziplocked & Loaded” for $8.99 on Amazon.com! http://t.co/jApXjms

For a physical copy of “Ziplocked & Loaded” send $5 through Paypal to Sales@ederuger.com & get a bonus cd & sticker…while supplies last

*NEW HEAT* “In My Own Zone” http://t.co/WfQ5KwZ NEW MUSIC from “Ziplocked & Loaded” …CRAZY!

QUANTITY OR QUALITY

We’ve all seen cats put out what seems like 100 mixtapes a year. We’ve also seen mc’s only release 1 album every couple of years & seem like double because of the anticipation. Over the years both have been successful but which is the best way to release your music?

In my opinion, releasing a ridiculous amount of free music that you could be selling, on beats to songs that are already familiar to the masses is kind of defeating the purpose. In order to brand yourself as an artist & build a fan base you have to develop a signature sound. That’s hard to do rhyming over industry beats as opposed to original beats. Plus I’ve always felt like I was just wasting material doing mixtapes,which is why I’ve never done one. Although,It is good to give some of your music away for free to get your name out there and keep people wanting more, you don’t want to over do it. Releasing a mixtape a month only works IF and only IF you have already have an established fan base who will consistently download them on a monthly basis. If that’s the case wouldn’t you just release all original albums so that those dedicated fans will buy your album? I’m not saying releasing mixtapes doesn’t work because I’ve heard plenty of mixtapes that made me go out & buy the artist’s studio cd. What I’m saying is that unless your a major artist,such as Lil Wayne or Gucci Mane, who are famous for their ridiculous amount of mixtapes they’ve released (most of which are garbage) you are wasting your time & talent.

Not releasing material can be just as bad as releasing too much material. Once again unless you are a certified star staying out of the public eye for too long will bury your career fast. People have short attention spans and the only way they will remember you year to year if you are constantly in their faces promoting,doing shows & releasing music. Here’s the catch …it has to be QUALITY music! People don’t care about horrible music whether they remember you or not. Classic albums with timeless music will always earn you a space in the hearts & collection of any true music fan no matter how long its been since your last release. They will be able to tell other people more about YOUR style & YOUR music instead of how dope you were for 1 verse on “that one little wayne beat” every other rapper in your hood has spit a verse over AND YOU OWN THE RIGHTS!! On top of that, most of the beats you choose for your mixtape will be played out in 3 months, the beats on your album will always be new to people who have never heard it and in the memory of those who have heard it. Just don’t stay quiet too long because they will forget and at the least just stop spreading the word because they think you quit rapping. Consistency creates credibility people!

So is it quality, quantity or both? I say both. You can use free mixtapes to promote your albums & stay fresh in the minds of your fans while you are working on your next project. You can also release an album a year and push 1 song at a time in order to keep your name out there. What you don’t wanna do is drop 6 mixtapes a year that are complete trash. Or take years to drop 1 trash album for that matter. Take your time to perfect the project and make sure its something people can relate to & will want more of. If the album is keeping you out of the public eye too long then by all means leak a few tracks or drop a mixtape. Bottom line is people will always choose 15 great tracks over 60 mediocre tracks. Its pretty simple, leaving the fans wanting more is always better than them wishing they heard you less when your cd goes off. You gotta kill them with consistency. Quality + Consistency = Longevity

10 NC CD’s YOU NEED

This idea came to me when I dropped “Ziplocked & Loaded”. I got tons of great feedback including being named 1 of NC’s 10 best albums by numerous people. After thinking about what great company that put me in I decided to come up with a list of albums from NC I think yall NEED to hear. I could’ve kept goin for 50+ albums so I just put together a list of some of my personal favorites. This isn’t a “top 10″ & isn’t ranked in any certain order. I don’t feel I have the right to come up w/ a top 10 bc I know there are tons of NC artists, that have cd’s, I haven’t heard. So once again these are just 10 of my favorites that you need to hear.

(If you’re wondering why I didn’t list any of my own cd’s, its because that would be totally lame)

Tre' Stylez

Ty Bru – On The Brink

Minds One – Self Reliance

Celinski – Beautiful Mind

Veteran Assassins – Self Titled

Tre Stylez – Kill Me

Supastition – 7 Years of Bad Luck

Illpo – Classics

Brandon D – Rollin With The Punches

Little Brother – The Listening

A.P. Apostle – Dark Thoughts Of a Bright Mind

Here are a few of my favorites that I didn’t include bc they aren’t technically albums.

Kaze – First In Flight

J.Cole – The Warm Up

Metaphor The Great – 4Play

Now City – Compilation

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RAPPER FACE TATS

Wtf is goin on w/ these so called “rappers” these are the kind of idiots that make us all look bad as true artists…Kids say no to drugs!

Yung LA

Gucci Mane

Game

Birdman

Click here to get the 1st glimpse of my NEW CD! “Ziplocked & Loaded Promo Sampler” -> http://t.co/aPoYQIt <- please leave feedback & share 4 me

Need a copy of my NEW cd “ZIPLOCKED & LOADED” for $5? Its gonna be more expensive online…just a heads up? Sending $5 to sales@ederuger.com thru paypal will get you the new cd,bonus cd w/ 5 exclusive tracks and an Ed E.Ruger sticker to vandalize your neighbors car with! Make sure to leave a shipping address in the description. Thanks!

SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT , BUY THE MUSIC!!!

The CD Release party was nuts! We will post reviews of the album & the show shortly as well.



Who Is RJD2?

We are rocking w/ RJD2 @ Greene St Feb 9 so I wanted everyone to get a bit more familiar w/ his body of work…dude is a legend!

Biography

Ramble originally began his career in Columbus, Ohio, DJing in 1993 with a pair of turntables bought from a friend. He went to high school at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center and graduated in 1994. He claims his name originates from another friend who referred to him as “Rjd2″ in his raps, and the name stuck. Originally working the role of DJ in the Columbus rap group MHz, he later signed to Bobbito Garcia’s Fondle ‘Em label, releasing the self-proclaimed “mix CD” Your Face or Your Kneecaps. A year later he signed to El-P’s record label Definitive Jux and released his solo debut album Deadringer to much acclaim. Rjd2 later collaborated with Columbus rapper Blueprint under the name Soul Position, releasing Unlimited EP in 2002 and 8 Million Stories in 2003. He released his second solo album Since We Last Spoke on Definitive Jux in 2004 and released Soul Position’s second album Things Go Better with RJ and AL in 2006 under Rhymesayers Entertainment label. He still continues to produce tracks, working with many independent rappers, such as Copywrite, Cunninlynguists, Cage, DOOM, Diverse and Aceyalone. He contributed a cover of “Airbag” by Radiohead for the 2006 album “Exit Music”. 2006 also saw the release of the collaborative record “Magnificent City” with Aceyalone. In 2007, he released the solo album The Third Hand on XL Recordings, which he toured for extensively in ’07 and ’08. RJD2 has been extremely popular in the skateboarding and skateboard filming subculture, frequently used in montages. RJD2 has a new track called “Christmas Eve Montage” from the new Nightmare Before Christmas album “Nightmare Revisited”.
In 2009, RJD2 established his own label RJ’s Electrical Connections and reissued Your Face Or Your Knee Caps, The Horror, and Since We Last Spoke as well as a box set entitled “2002-2010”. RJD2’s new full length The Colossus was released on January 19, 2010 on his own label, which is distributed by The Orchard. On March 3, 2010 his “A Spaceship For Now” music video, directed by Michael Ebner, premiered with SPIN Magazine.

YOUR Favorite MC is 30+ like It Or Not

Good music is good music in my eyes regardless of your age. Hip Hop fans seem to have a bad habit of thinking rappers are irrelevant at a certain age. Its another classic case of the media brain washing the fans & even worse,the artists,into thinking a certain way. Why? I’m sure there are plenty of warped reasons but the one that sticks out in my mind is $$! Its the youth that buy everything these days & I’m not just talking music. You notice all the cartoon characters on every box in the grocery store right? Well that’s what these labels marketing techniques for hip hop have turned into! Labels thinking “How can we market old rappers to young consumers? Hmmm we’ll hide their ages!”. This my friends is the issue! They go outta their way to do this kinda bs & for what? I’m not saying go outta your way to let every artist’s age be known either. What I’m saying is who gives a sh*t?! It has nothing to do w/ the music! Good music is good music & classics are timeless.
The sad part is that its not the fans that care, its the artists! Because they’ve been brainwashed by the labels & media into thinking they have a shelf life. I want my music to be around forever. I wanna be able to grow with my fans thru my music. Plus I mean c mon you can’t rush greatness! Haha
For all my young hungry up & coming rappers out there…stay hungry & grind hard. But instead of thinking you are grinding so u can make it in the biz before you get blackballed at 30, think about it like this. You’re grinding hard now bc the earlier you make it in the biz the longer you’re gonna make money! Who knows you could make money off this for the next 50+ years if you play your cards right. Don’t let these jerk offs warp your brain into thinking you can’t have longevity in this game. Just take your time & make timeless records. To prove my point here’s a list I got off wikipedia of 40 of the top artists out today that still get PAID! Some are vets who have paved the bath for artists such as myself & others are people who’ve been grinding forever and JUST got signed! I even added a few of the worthless trash rappers some of yall like to the list.

Yelawolf

40 of YOUR Favorite MC’s are 30+

Jay-Z 41
Raekwon 41
Redman 40
Ghostface Killah 40
Fat Joe 39
Method Man 39
Snoop Dogg 39
Common 38
Busta Rhymes 38
Black Thought 38
Eminem 38
Bun B 37
Nas 37
Mos Def 37
Andre 3000 36
Styles P 36
Big Boi 35
Jadakiss 35
50 Cent 35
Talib Kweli 35

Big Boi & Andre 3000

Rick Ross 34
Cam’ron 34
Kanye West 33
Ludacris 33
Young Jeezy 33
Yelawolf 31
Maino 30
Vinny Paz 32
Plies 34
Fabolous 33
Jay Electronica 34
Gucci Mane 30
-Slaughterhouse-
Crooked I 32
Royce 33
Joe Budden 31
Joell Ortiz 30
-Clipse-
Malice 36
Pusha T 33

CD Packaging

Speaking of CD’s I wanna talk about CD packaging. Well mainly my favorite new way of packaging my cd’s. Now for music stores of course you still need the shrink wrapped Jewel Case in order for them stock it without any issues. So you always need to keep a few of those handy. However now days Jewel cases are more trouble than anything when you’re selling them @ shows,conventions or just pushing them out of your trunk. Plus, with everything being digital now, people just look at the case once while uploading it to their iPods and then its never seen again. Or worse, it gets thrown in your floorboard,stepped on & broken until you have shards of plastic everywhere. Or my personal favorite when your at a show and you get 20 cd’s from different artists and have to figure out how to carry all of them all night. This my friends is why I absolutely love the all clear cd sleeves! As long as your artwork is still good & you have a nice looking cd it looks 100x cleaner than the slim jewel cases & takes up 100x less space than the standard Jewel cases. They don’t break & you can fit 20 or so in your pocket no problem,unless you are one of the skinny jean generation. Also being all clear you can see ALL the artwork,unlike the white paper sleeves where you just see the cut out circle. My absolute favorite packages are the 3 fold UV coated cardboard cases bc they’re thin,clean & can still be stocked in stores without any issues. If you can’t find or afford them, then the all clear cd sleeves & some nice,clean artwork & cd’s will do the trick! I’ve sold tons of cd’s in the clear sleeves & haven’t had a complaint yet. As a matter of fact I’ve had quite a few people say they liked them better. So for all my struggling artists out there, this is also the cheapest way to package cd’s and still have an appealing product that catches the consumers eye. Ok enuf of my rambling about cd sleeves haha just figured I throw it out there for ya’ll….

NEW ED E.RUGER EXCLUSIVE!!!

“JUST CUZ I’M BUZZIN”

Free Download Link
http://t.co/y2ReDHP

Never heard before! This is my remix of the Kotton Mouth Kings hit song “Bong Hits.” Yall know I rarely do mixtape/remix tracks so when I do they are guaranteed to be incredibly DOPE! This was gonna be the bonus track on “Ziplocked & Loaded” dropping January 28 but JJ & I decided yall should have it before the cd drops & FOR FREE! Please download, leave some feedback, burn to cd’s & upload to your mp3 players so you can share it w/ your friends & spread the word about the new joint “Just Cuz I’m Buzzin!”

SUPPORT SUCCESS, NOT HATE!

There has been a trend for years in NC & probably every other city in the world. Artists hate on the MC’s who see any amount of success,no matter how small it may be. Hell,even I’ve been guilty of it in the past. I don’t know if it was because of my years on the battle circuit dissing every mc I saw or just me being young & dumb, but for years if you weren’t in my crew or one of the crews I was associated with I didn’t think you deserved to be successful. Whether or not you worked your ass off for your success didn’t matter to me. That had to be one of my worst flaws as a young artist & as a person in general. It was also the most ignorant & unhealthy way to think about the situation.Yes, you have to be competitive & aware of who’s doing what at all times in this biz. At the same time u have to be smart about trying to get to the top & staying there. Worrying about what the next man does to the point of stalling your own progress is far from smart. Not to mention a waste of time & energy. If u want something done do it yourself instead of relying on a false sense of entitlement. No one is gonna help you if you can’t help yourself.
I’ve always made it a point to listen to all the mixtapes of the hottest cats in the area. I also check out blogs,websites,etc to see who’s doing what & to stay updated on the scene.The Southeast is full of talented & successful crews.  whether or not you like the music or not you still have to respect the grind that got them there & has kept them relevant. I’ve been in the game for 10 years working my ass off to get where I am & it pisses me off when cats act like it was just handed to me. It wasn’t until I started to see a little success that I realized what artists go through to get where they are. I’m far from rich & famous,but I’ve had my share of success in the past few years & it never ceases to amaze me how many haters come outta the woodworks when you’re doing good. All I can think about is “damn, what an idiot I can’t believe i used to be like that.” Instead of congratulating them, supporting & seeing if I could possibly learn from their success I would waste valuable time making excuses why they shouldn’t be successful or more importantly why I should be. That’s when I started to realize what REALLY goes on in the biz. F*ck what another rapper thinks…period! DO YOU!  There’s always gonna be those who hate,doubt & ultimately want your spot. These are usually the people who act like every artist they’ve shaken hands w owes them something & always expect handouts. Mainly because they have no clue how to do it themselves. The Best way to deal with them is to IGNORE them. Why worry about someone who’s clueless to what’s really going on around them? Its all about YOUR grind,YOUR music,YOUR money & what YOU & YOUR fans want!
It wasn’t until I started Booking my own shows that it really hit me. If I was going to expand my fan base to sale more cd’s & throw bigger shows i had to start supporting other successful crews in the area instead of alienating myself & hopefully they return the love. Needless to say after helping & being helped by many dope artists, it worked. As long as these other rappers are only rapping for the rappers they know and a handful of fans from the block they never leave, they are gonna be stuck! Expand your fan base & work with crews that are doing the same. Things can only go up from there. Just imagine a few of your favorite crews from the region on a national tour…TOGETHER! That could happen & probly will in the near future as long as things keep going in the right direction.
Over the years I’ve seen a lot of meaningless “beef” some of which I was right in the middle of. Seeing what I’ve seen as a veteran,aka old ass rapper,I’ve come to realize that negativity & hate does nothing for the scene & doesn’t earn artists any new fans. Rap beef has been played out for years ,there’s no money in it & it ultimately turns your fans off. You still gotta stand up for the integrity of your music & what you believe in though. So I’m not saying don’t voice your opinion if you expose a fraud trying to leech of the hip hop community,air him out. What I’m saying is don’t entertain a hater trying to make their name off of your success. Supporting & networking with the crews who are out here grinding all day & selling cd’s, setting up shows own their own will get you a lot further than trying to support someone who spends more time worrying about other artists & making excuses for why they aren’t in the same position. I’m speaking from experience when I say that if you spent all that time & energy you spend hating, doing something productive for your own career,like emailing dj’s,websites,clubs,etc about your music & building your bio’s up, you will see a lot more success & your buzz will grow a lot faster….AND MAYBE just maybe one day you’ll have haters of your own! Hahaha!

I have a feeling there are a few haters reading right now! Welcome back hahaha!

“ZIPLOCKED & LOADED”
Drops January 28

Here’s the 1st “leak” off of  “Ziplocked & Loaded”

“Crush Careers”

Ed E.Ruger ft
Kaze (SRC/Universal) & Chaundon (Hall Of Justus)
Produced By JJ The Jenius

Free download link below
http://t.co/biAH2kr

This song has gotten a nice buzz since 1st released over the summer on County Lines Clothing’s “Another Carolina Summer” Mixtape. The track has been downloaded over 2000 times and featured on tons of hip hop blogsites. Download it FREE now! Here’s a few sites its been featured on.

WhoIsBigHop.com
WeUpOnIt.com
PhenomenalRadio.com
2ndFloorBasementRadio.com
Hustlemill.com
DotGotIt.com
HipHopForFree.com
HOJ Blogs
(http://en.wordpress.com/tag/hoj/)
TheGrindaily.com
CarolinaBlew.Blogspot.com
AllDJ.org
NCHipHop.Blogspot.com

MY TOP 5 NEW SITCOMS!

These are all shows I recommend yall check out.

1. Raising Hope

A 23-year-old must raise his infant daughter, conceived by a one-night stand, with the help of his flawed family after the baby’s mother (who has killed multiple boyfriends) is given a death sentence and executed when the baby is only six months old.

2. Modern Family

The story follows the families of Jay Pritchett, his daughter Claire Dunphy and his son Mitchell Pritchett who live in a Los Angeles-area suburban community. Claire is a homemaker mom married to Phil Dunphy; they have three children. After splitting with his longtime wife, Jay has re-married with a much younger Colombian woman, Gloria Pritchett and is helping her raise her pre-teen son, Manny Delgado. Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker have adopted a Vietnamese baby, Lily Pritchett-Tucker.

3. The Cleveland Show

Cleveland has had enough of Quahog – he realizes that he wants his own friends, his own sidekicks, his own stories. So he sets out to California to make it in a way that we’ll have to keep a secret until the show starts, and then he ends up somewhere else, which we’ll also keep a secret until the show starts. But he basically goes home – he goes to his hometown in Virginia and rekindles an old high school flame.
The show’s family centers around father Cleveland Brown, who was a featured character on Family Guy. His son Cleveland Jr. was also on Family Guy, although for this show he was redesigned to be older and more obese. Three new characters were added to fill out the Brown/Tubbs family

4. The Middle

Frances “Frankie” Heck , a middle-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck who reside in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three children, Axl, Sue, and Brick. Brian Doyle-Murray plays Frankie’s boss, Mr. Ehlert, at “Ehlert Motors”. Chris Kattan plays Frankie’s friend Bob at the car dealership where they work.

(Basically Malcom In The Middle)

5. Outsourced

Outsourced is set in a Mumbai, India call center, where an American novelties company has recently outsourced its order processing. A lone American manages the call center and must explain American popular culture to his employees as he tries to understand Indian culture.

(Descriptions via wikipedia)

Iconoclast Crew/Brown Bag member Stitchy C’s long awaited return to the recording booth!

“So Sweet”
Free Download Link Below
http://bit.ly/gAmPMA

By Stitchy C
Produced By Christ Addams

1st of many NEW songs from Stitchy C,while he works on his upcoming CD “A Stitch In Time”

Leave feedback & comments on the site about the blog,the songs,etc…THANKS!

Many of you know by now but for those who didn’t, 1/4 of DuB-Boro & HypeNC.com‘s Beat Box Alumni, Dubkiller aka Adam Eat Em Up aka Adam Smeaton & many more names that can’t be repeated here, just released a dub step EP entitled “Dubkiller : BOOM!” That EP just
Happens to be on Propa Records! That’s “The Queen Of Drum N Bass” DJ Raps label! 3 Million records sold,been featured on VH1, MTV, MTV 2, etc… now that’s a good person to have on your side! Since dropping on December 21 ”BOOM!” Has been on the front page of the new releases & featured release on Beatport.com. that’s pretty good for less than a week! Congrats homie thanks for including me!

“Dubkiller : Boom EP”

1. Paradise
featuring AngelFreq, Ed E Ruger, and Mark Victor

2. The Wrong Way
featuring Bobby Reeves and Mark Victor

Plus a few crazy ass remixes to make it a complete electro ep

This is just a taste of what’s in store for yall in the near future! DuB-Boro’s EP is gonna be next so as I always say we can’t do it without yall so SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT, BUY THE MUSIC!

The links are below!

“DJ Rap – Out Now- some killer Dubstep Propa Talent proudly present the ‘Boom Ep’ By Dubkiller

iTunes
http://goo.gl/XjtE7

Beatport
http://goo.gl/YyEPe

Drum And Bass Arena
http://goo.gl/DELL0 ”

Perfect Set Length

How long is too long of a set or not long enough for that matter when your at a show? I’ve discussed this with a lot of people who had a lot of opinions but they pretty much all came to the same conclusion.”It all depends on the show.”
If people are paying to see acts like Method Man & Redman, Wiz Khailfa, KRS-1, etc they wanna see at least an hour’s worth of show. You kinda feel robbed paying $20-$40 a ticket to only see 30 or 45 minutes from someone you’ve been waiting years & standing in line for hours to see. Most national acts know that and come prepared to rock for an hour or more if the crowds crazy. Opening acts usually get 10-20 minutes on bigger shows, which is perfect. Well 15-20 minutes is great,25-30 is even better. Just enough time for the crowd to get a feel for your style & leave them wanting more. 10 minutes is a little short but I’d do a 2 minute set in front of a packed house opening for a legend & not complain at all depending on the situation.
With local/regional shows its a little different. None of the people I talked to wanted to see anybody at a “local” show rock for more than 30 minutes. Anymore than that & you lose everybody in the crowd,except the people that came to see you.Even some of then end up leaving leave 40 minutes in and that sucks for the rest of the acts. I personally think 20 to 30 minutes is a perfect set. That gives you enough time to take the crowd on a ride & gain a few new fans who are there to see someone else or new acts in general. Some thought,including me, that the openers of the regional shows should only do 10 minutes max until they developed a solid following & master their stage shows. For some acts that only takes 1 show ,others never get it & that’s the problem. If you give an artist who not that great on stage more than 10 minutes,its more than likely gonna bore the crowd to death and they will leave b4 the other acts rock.
What it boils down to is, in the underground scene people wanna see & hear a mix of fresh new talent & seasoned veterans who all know how to entertain a crowd every time. They don’t want any one act to be on stage for too long or they get bored. When you have a national act headlining people don’t really care about the openers. Having dope openers is just a bonus to fans waiting in anticipation to see there favorite industry artist. An opener having a dope show & being heard by the right people can also be a stepping stone to headlining your own shows,tours,etc…as an artist who has opened a lot of big shows, I have to say that its the quickest way to gain fans & sale cd’s. Not to mention a dream come true every single time!

FREE STUFF

“Blowed Away”
Smurf Durrt ft Ed E.Ruger & Knoc
(Knockdown Single Of year Nominee)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/84078032e0568d73/

WEED RUMORS

Its a pretty well know fact that the growers voted against prop 19 but this is a whole other level. Rumor has it that one of the REAL reasons that prop 19 didn’t pass is that mexican drug cartels put major pressure on the government to NOT pass it or they would turn it into a war zone. WOW!

Justin Timberlake supposedly has a “secret” briefcase w/ 100 different types w/ him of weed at all time. Daaaaamn son! Haha

I don’t know most of these cd’s but I’m very happy to see a few good hip hop cd’s in the mix!

Top 10 Albums of 2010 according to Vibe Mag:

1. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

3. LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening

4. The National, High Violet

5. Drake, Thank Me Later

6. Sufjan Stevens, Age of Adz

7. The Black Keys, Brothers

8. Yeasayer, Odd Blood

9. Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

10. Beach House, Teen Dream

Top 10 Holiday Movies
These are movies I try to see every holiday

1. Christmas Story
2. Bad Santa
3. National Lampoons Christmas
4. The Grinch
5. Elf
6. The Santa Clause Series
7. Home Alone
8. 8 Crazy Nights
9. Nightmare Before Christmas
10. Scrooged

Speaking of Christmas… here’s a great stocking stuffer!

Ty Bru’s MTTS & Medley Records Present “Under The Tree”

zSHARE – Under The Tree _2010_ mp3s.zip http://www.zshare.net/download/84104222cb29e2c7/

All in 2 weeks I went from Nominee for BEST artist in the state to BANNED from the awards! How you ask…for questioning how things REALLY work behind the scenes. It all started when I saw I was nominated along side 22 other acts. 2/3 of which didn’t belong anywhere near this category. 1st off what the f*ck kind of awards have 23 nominees for anything?! The reason was some BS disclaimer on the voting page saying because of the overwhelming amount of votes & depth of NC’s talent pool blah blah blah! This all happened after Carl (the Founder) text me a week earlier and said there will be 6-9 total nominees. This is after he posted 5 different dates for posting nominations that never happened. So its pretty safe to say the people running the awards have no clue what’s goin on either. When the nominations were finally posted it went from 6-9 nominees for Best Artist to 23?! Every category has 10+ nominees which is absolutely f*ckin ridiculous! Awards shows are supposed to be the ones that narrow the talent pool down to 5 nominees that have worked the hardest THIS YEAR! How can you crown someone best artist of 2011 in march anyway?! Nominations have been goin on for months…it’s still 2010 people get it together? He must think we are idiots! its the 4th year in and your just now realizing how deep NC’s talent pool is? You do run the awards show right?! WTF! In all reality the attendance has been getting lower every year & I’m sure the votes have too,which is why they have so many nominees. They figure hey if we nominate more people then they’ll bring more of a crowd and make more money. That on top of nominating people who are willing to pay or “sponsor”, make flyers, get clubs for nomination & after parties, bring in “industry” presenters, models, etc you can see how the amount of nominees went up. I have texts, emails, etc and tons of proof to back this up but ima leave it alone so I don’t expose some of the artists nominated who think they got it legitimately. The sad part is they don’t know they are being caught in the middle of all these “side deals” so its not there faults. Just know that the industry does not acknowledge these so called awards. Its like taking your pop warner trophy with you to an NFL tryout thinking it’ll get you more attention.

Once I asked a few of these questions, told them I didn’t believe in the legitimacy of the awards, didn’t see any reason to promote the awards/my nomination & would be fine with or without the awards bc I’m doin this for my fans not the awards, I was promptly removed from the nominees list…that the FANS voted me onto! Which is just 1 more thing that proves how the NCUMA’s are a fraud! If one man…a Manager at a McDonald’s at that…can remove an artist from the nominees list that is supposedly voted on by the NC hip hop fans then its obviously more about stroking he & his friends egos than it is about furthering NC as a whole.

Let’s face it, I’ve never been involved in the awards bc I found out early what they were about. I was nominated for ’08 best new artist & lyricist of the year according to which categories I was telling people to vote for. When the actual nomination came out I was in some category “Grind Hard Award” that wasn’t even a category to vote for…once again wtf?! They nominated my homie HeIsCJ for R&B but when he arrived to the show his name had magically disappeared…huh?! & my personal favorite was nominating an NC pioneer Kaze for best NEW artist…are u f*ckin serious?! This is an MC who has been signed to SRC/Universal, done an LP for Rawkus, mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid, etc all in the last 2-3 yrs & had the triangle area on fire along w Hall Of Justus for almost 10 yrs before that. This is what happens when you let 1 man try to dictate who’s who in our scene! Tell Calvin, ie Carl, not to quit his day job!
On a side note…I really don’t care that he works @ McDonald’s, I’m glad he has a job for the rest of the year when these bs awards aren’t around bc that’s the only time I hear about or from him. Gotta support the fam somehow. Don’t get me wrong, I have a day job too, I bartend, so I get the whole 9-5 thing & needing extra money but don’t scam artists & say your rewarding them…that’s counterproductive at best. You would be amazed at the amount of texts, emails, twitter DM’s & Facebook private messages I got from people agreeing with what I was saying but wouldn’t say anything on a public forum bc they were nominated or affiliated with nominees. Things will stay like this until yall speak up about it. I could go on for days about this so ima leave it at that.

Here is the Facebook IM…

Go check the ballot out now & see that my name is nowhere to be found…if u can find it because I’m not promoting their site for them!

Below…the homie Ty Bru’s 2 cents

I am proud that NC Hip Hop has a voice that can and will be heard, doesn’t fold, doesn’t sugar coat, doesn’t budge, etc.
much respect Ruger and I got you no matter who you piss off in this business. Honestly this is all ANY of these WORTHLESS ceremonies have needed, someone distinguished and established to get put on the ballot, then removed for speaking the truth and more importantly EXPOSING the logistics of these NC SCAM AWARDS to the public.
Of course there are a few names I see that deserve it, but IMO it is just a weak attempt to legitimize these ceremonies that have been guilty of throwing artists on the ballot, then ridiculously charging them $25-$50 to get in, at times $100 to perform then more upwards of $15 for after parties……and this is supposed to be something EARNED, lmao.

Q:Who is earning what?

A:The award shows are earning money, the artists get next to nothing, and easily forgotten with 48 hrs of getting the award and on top of that most times it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to find out who won unless you actually attend.

WHERE IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL PR TEAM?
By providing little to no POST SHOW PROMOTIONS or even simple, basic recaps released to the respected press, you’re short changing yourself, the artists and ultimately our STATE’S NAME that you use so freely. And speaking of free, how can most of these award shows use free websites and expect to be taken serious.
For myself, It’s obviously not one person that is fucking up so I’m not upset at one cat, but I am very upset with the CONTENTMENT loads of people are having with these events and how these are year after year being justified with false glamor.

The first few years each of the NC award shows were around, I gave them a little leeway cause they were fresh and new, thought the kinks would be worked out and in fact they keep getting greater and greater until it looks like it’s hopeless

“Ziplocked & Loaded” CD & Tour

This is my 4th solo album & a lot different from what you’ve heard from me before, which is a good thing! Of course your gonna
here a few party tracks & the raw aggressiveness that yall are used to from me,but your also gonna hear A LOT more stories based on my personal life. I’ve matured a lot from having to balance being a dad, family man &  an MC & it definitely shows in the new cd. With less guest appearances & more emotion this is my best work yet…at least for now!

The Tour will feature many great NC artists on different stops, such as Ty Bru, ILLPO, Young Stacks & LGi, Action Inc., Stitchy C, A.Moss, Deniro Farrar, K. Hill, FSM Ent, F. Dux, Ike Turnah, Eddified, Logik, Up Rite Lions, Scottie Flippen, Jae Blacc, Adam Rottin, J.Harris, Minds One & more! This is what NC Hip Hop is all about! Thank you to everyone making it happen! WE ARE THE REAL MOVEMENT! Its the cats like us that really put NC on our backs that will win in the end! Longevity is key!

-Ziplocked & Loaded Tour Dates

January 28 in Greensboro,NC
Greene Street Club

February 11 in Charlotte,NC
Tremont Music Hall

February 26 in Chapel Hill,NC
Jack Spratts

March 4 in Wilmington,NC
The Soap Box

More dates to be added soon. If you would like to bring the tour to your town email sugahillentertainment@yahoo.com for details

Top 10 Worst MC names

These are all real names of actual artists…I’m not even gonna get into what they’ve done or who they are affiliated with bc with names like this,you’ll never remember their careers anyway ha! but I bet you will remember the names!

Ball Greazy

1-Shorty Shitstain
2-Ball Greazy
3-Doo Doo Brown
4-Tea Bag Boyz
5-Yakballz
6-Titi boi
7-Yukmouth
8-Niggaracci
9-Crunchy Black
10-Waka Flocka Flame

FREE DOWNLOAD LINK BELOW!

“Ed E.Ruger : Reloaded”
W/ over 3500 copies in the streets all over the east coast,this was my 2nd cd and the release that got my buzz goin crazy on the internet and underground hip hop scene.

Songs include collabs feat w/
Jelly Roll,
MIC,
Ty Bru,
Stitchy C,
KrumbSnatcha of Gang Starr Foundation,
W.O.L.V.E.S.,
ethemadassassin,
Choke,
Celinski,
J.Bond of ILLPO,
Brandon D,
Barber Q &
L.I.V.E.

Plus cameos from
Stat Quo,
DJ Vlad,
Wonder Twinz,
DJ Head Honcho,
Willy Northpole & more

http://www.zshare.net/download/83134295c322a387/

Ed E.Ruger – Iconoclast Crew / DUB-BORO (Hip Hop/Dub Step MC)