Ghetto New$ Flash!

GNSF! [WATCH] T.Mills Knows How To Get ‘Loud’ in the Rap Game

Dita Quiñones — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:03:54 +0000

Before his all-ages show at Soma, T.Mills pumps up the volume with GN$F! You might hate on the fact that this Riverside rapper used to sing in a boy-band but, you have to give the guy credit on his hustle in the rap game. Using social media to his advantage, T.Mills has racked up over 600,000 Facebook LIKEs and most recently +200,000 followers on Twitter.

“We only like it if it’s loud,” raps Riverside youngin’ T.Mills on “Loud.” I couldn’t agree more, especially since the song uses a classic sample from “I Know You Got Soul,” by Eric B. and Rakim.

I heard the song for the first time at Soma, where T.Mills kicked off his tour co-headlining with Sammy Adams, another rising rapper. The single, produced with precision by BMI 2012 Producer of the Year Pop Wansel, premiered last week on L.A.’s Power 106 with DJ Felli Fel.

T.Mills is a boy-band pop singer/model turned rapper. As crazy as it seems, the 24-year-old really has mastered rhyming and has a love for hip-hop music that is undeniable. In the same way you might doubt Drake’s rap credibility for having a Disney past, you’ll have to rethink that with T.Mills because the numbers don’t lie with the Y-generation. The rapper affectionately calls his fans “YNG FAV,” meaning young favorites.

His show in San Diego featured a live band with an energetic performance that had the girls going gaga and capturing his every movement on their phones.

T.Mills said at Soma that he doesn’t consider himself a rapper because he also sings. He confirmed: “I’m an artist.”

I mentioned two words – Kanye West — and T.Mills fully understood my point by explaining he very much looks up to Yeezy. T.Mills said he considered 808s & Heartbreak a heavy influence on his music.

During our interview, T.Mills explained the importance of a Bone Thugs n’ Harmony tattoo among the many others on his body, and he even shared a few tips to his fellow rappers about how to use social media to break into the music industry.

Don’t let looks deceive: He’s got a little something for everybody, even “your grandmother.”

WATCH GN$F! interview with T.Mills

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

GNSF! Los Macuanos Arrest Your Senses in ‘El Camotero’

Dita Quiñones — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:52:54 +0000

as featured on NBC’s ”SoundDiego”

Tijuana’s Los Macuanos, pioneers of the Ruidosón sound, are placing you on house arrest at Club Ruidosón (if there were one) with their latest online drop, “El Camotero.”

The thumping track is intelligent, edgy and a succinct commentary on the war on drugs. “El Camotero” capture your audio senses with layers of ominous samples like the camotero’s choo-choos, a gun being loaded and police sirens overlaid with Los Macuanos chanting “Manos arriba, manos arriba, ya viene camotero (Hands up, hands up. Here comes the camotero)”. You’re probably curious as to what a camotero is. Well, keep reading because I caught up with the Tijuana trio who just returned from Mexico City’s Vive Latino mammoth music festival.

Dita Quiñones: For those that don’t know, what is a camotero?
Los Macuanos: A camotero is a street vendor who sells sweet potatoes, a very popular treat in México. The most accurate translation would be a costermonger — a seller of fruits and vegetables. Camoteros typically push-around a cart that contains a pipe that makes a very particular sound that is used to attract customers.

DQ: Is “El Camotero” a metaphor for a political message of something going in Mexico?
LM: “El Camotero” is a reimagining of the pregón, which uses the theme of working-class characters, mostly street vendors. In this case we opted to turn the genre on its head and turn the friendly character of the street vendor into a sort of working-class antihero. It’s a commentary on the toll that ex-president Felipe Calderón’s war on drugs took on the working class. In many ways this is the sound of the war on the poor: very typical of certain right wing policies.

DQ: Congratulations for participating in Vive Latino. Was “El Camotero” received well?
LM: It was pretty OSOM. We performed using a visual show. People got their minds blown with our heavy political imagery and even danced throughout our set. We think “El Camotero” was a hit since people were actually singing along.

DQ: I hear Horta actually sampled a camotero? Did the driver of the camotero trip out?
LM: The first time I [Moisés Horta] remember listening to the sound of el camotero, I was startled by its other-worldly quality. Later, I discovered that it’s a sound that is ingrained in the Mexican collective consciousness and is a common fear for many people. This motivated me to use it later in a track. When I approached the street vendor to record the sound — he was pretty confused as to what I was going to do with it, but was ultimately chill with the idea.

Los Macuanos are currently working on their upcoming release La Derrota, with “El Camotero” as its debut single. And they are currently featured doing their solo dolo thing on the net-label LALALA4e.com compilation WHATEVER FOREVER, where DJ Nombre Apellido is Moisés Horta, Conejito Colvin is Reuben Torres and Mr. VOID is Moisés López.

Download Los Macuanos’ “El Camotero.”

GNSF [VIDEO] Why Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is killing the rap game with ‘Can’t Hold Us’

Dita Quiñones — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:39:04 +0000

I seriously have an urge to smoke a Cuban after watching Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Can’t Hold Us” music video. It was like good sex. The visuals and energy left me breathless and inspired. And furthermore confirms what I was already feeling after listening to their first joint “Thrift Shop” – Macklemore is slapping the shit out of rappers with his insane creative formula.

And sorry to say, what many of these major label rappers have promised and didn’t do, Macklemore is doing. He’s bringing that raw, innocent, energetic, hungry vibe back to the game. He’s also enlisted impeccable hook singers like Ray Dalton (“Can’t Hold Us) and Wanz (“Thrift Shop”). Dude can rhyme. Dude can swag on mufukas. No guns, no objectifying women, no Moet, no weed to sell his rhyme slayings – not that there’s anything wrong with weed and alcohol but, I think you get my point: it’s not thrown in your face to make up for wack lyrics.

Say buh-bye to bling culture, say hello to thrift and mom-and-pop shop Zulu-culture – kind of the way things were in ’90s Hip-Hop. Say Hello to this “cold-ass honky.”

The music video dropped April 17, two days after D-Day a.k.a. pay your taxes sons of bitches day. The seven-minute epic mini-movie takes epic proportions in its location choices – all beautifully mapped out from New Zealand to the duo’s native Seattle. Cleverly, Macklemore, Lewis and Dalton pass off an almost-American flag, which is stamped with “The Heist” instead of the 50 stars. The production design is B-A-N-A-N-A-S (*Gwen Stefani voice) you’ll see camels, dogsleds, a pirate ship, and a freaking mobile office set in the country – all shot with a flying camera! The Benjamins are in, baby.

The “Can’t Hold Us” video was created entirely by the duo and their friends – directed by Lewis, Jason Koenig and Jon Jon Augustavo. These guys have thee best videos in the rap game, hands down. Lewis points out that his collaborators “simply don’t work within the conventional hierarchy of the film industry (director, producer, etc.) Sure, people have concrete pre-defined roles based on their expertise, but our team has the remarkable ability to wear multiple hats. Can’t Hold Us was a video that showcased this well.”

“Can’t Hold Us” bounded into the Top 10 of the Hot 100 chart last week, clocking in at No. 7. Meanwhile, the former No. 1 smash “Thrift Shop” resides at No. 2 and has spent 27 weeks on the chart.

GNSF! [VIDEO] Miguel: ‘I’m so grateful that I am of mixed culture’

Dita Quiñones — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:28:46 +0000

as featured on NBC 7′s “SoundDiego”

Dreams do come true in Kaleidoscope. That is, for singer Miguel they do, because he’s living the life he always wanted. The musical artist is working with contemporaries he admires like Alicia Keys, who hand-picked him to open up for her Set This World On Fire Tour — at the Valley View Casino Center. These two artists fit the bill together so well that it’s an easy sell. Both have much in common: coming from biracial homes, sticking to their guns when it comes to musical artistry and fashion sense and, last but not least, both have Grammy bragging rights. I caught up with Miguel to talk about his Kaleidoscope Dream life.

DITA QUIÑONES: You’re Afro-Latino. Dad’s Mexican. Mom’s Black. How did you navigate both cultures
MIGUEL: “I’m actually so grateful that I am of mixed culture. I have a built-in barometer of who it is and what it is I want to be. And what it is I want to accomplish.”

DQ: I’m so proud of you for winning a Grammy. You’re Afro-Latino creating achievements for our musical landscape. Are you like, ‘FINALLY.” Or, is there more work to do?
M: I have plenty of work to do. But, it’s a good benchmark. You work hard to reach your goals and it’s kind of the cherry on top – to be noticed and recognized by your peers. It’s been a blessing.”

DQ: What does your album mean to you?
M: Kaleidoscope Dream — has been getting a lot of attention critically. It’s all been a result of deciding the kind of musician – the kind of career that I’d love to have and the music that I love inspires me.”

In his Grammy-winning for Best R&B song, “Adorn,” you can sense some Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” inspiration. Miguel told me it wasn’t intentional but the musical greatness of Marvin Gaye will seep through for an artist like himself. With the sounds that are brewing from Kaleidoscope, Miguel’s music is certainly going to be timeless and transcend genres and demographics.

WATCH FULL INTERVIEW

View more GN$F! videos at: NBC7SOUNDIEGO.

GNSF! [VIDEO] Chase ‘We Used 2′ #LBC

Dita Quiñones — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:07:40 +0000

Because GN$F! stays true to all things indie and underground – I had to share the latest music video “We Used 2″ from LBC rapper, Cha$e. The track is from his upcoming mixtape “L Blue C” hosted by Trap-A-Holics. The track pays homage to the streets that raised him but also proves he’s wizened up to the trappings of street life. Cha$e chose Manolo to direct the video because he says they connected like “chicken and waffles” when it came to music.

Cha$e was born in San Diego to a crack-addicted mother and now reps the LBC every chance he gets. Until the age of nine, his mom’s best friend took Cha$e to live with her in Long Beach city while his mother could recover from drugs. Devoid of a father and mother, Cha$e found kinship with the Eastside Long Beach 19th Street Crips but more importantly took

creative refuge with rap music.

For all you crate diggers, delight in the melodic chorus in “We Used 2,” although the sample sounds like a young Michael Jackson it’s really a sample from “Remember The Rain” performed by 21st Century, an obscure ’70s soul band from Chicago who was once signed to RCA Records.

When asked if he’s left the street life Cha$e anwers, “I can never outgrow the homies.”

“We are forever connected in this street life-type of family. It’s just when you start succeeding – people are stuck in their old ways. Some people like your success, some don’t.”

WATCH “We Used 2.” Follow Cha$e

GNSF! Chingo Bling’s Jenni Rivera Tribute Got Me Thinking

Dita Quiñones — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:33:00 +0000

It was just a day after I submitted my Chingo Bling article to NBC “SoundDiego” that I stumbled on his tribute to Jenni Rivera – and ummm – I almost shed a tear.

“I feel things. I express them through music. Here’s a song I wrote from a fan’s perspective. My respects to all the families affected. We love you Jenni.” -Chingo Bling

Call me loca but after hearing it and looking back at Jenni’s amazingly short life words metamorphosed: Jenni Rivera is the Mexicano’s Tupac, a second Selena. Jenni was the truth.

Seriously. Feel me on this.

Without getting too conspiracy sister on you – her life was cut way too short – right at the eclipse of when Jenni Rivera could really lay her influence on the people: Latina single moms everywhere – the same way that Tupac and Selena were about to do for us. Jenni made us feel proud to be Mexican and American. She showed us you can rock both sides of La Frontera sin verguenza. She was the antithesis of the Hollywood Latina prototype. She was articulate and could rock Español y Inglés sin Barreras. She refused to starve to death. In fact, she praised eating and cooking the traditional Mexican way. She was prudent about hard work and being methodical with her business as to secure a promising future for her children. She was ridiculously fashionable onstage with her glamorous Mexicana traditional dress costumes. Off stage she dressed like the around-the-way-girl you loved. Jenni was the type you could have shots of tequila and share secrets with.

The way we lost Tupac and Selena hurt us very much. Jenni Rivera was gangster. Jenni Rivera was La Diva de la Banda. Jenni Rivera’s life can serve as the blueprint for Latina single moms everywhere. Challenges make us stronger and better.

GNSF! Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Life

Dita Quiñones — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:58:40 +0000

photo: Timothy Saccenti

Source:
Dreams do come true in Kaleidoscope. That is, for singer Miguel they do, because he’s living the life he always wanted. The musical artist is working with contemporaries he admires like Alicia Keys, who hand-picked him to open up for her Set This World On Fire Tour — at the Valley View Casino Center just last week. These two artists fit the bill together so well that it’s an easy sell. Both have much in common: coming from biracial homes, sticking to their guns when it comes to musical artistry and fashion sense and, last but not least, both have Grammy bragging rights.

“I’m a huge fan of not only her artistry, but I’m a fan of her as a person.” Miguel told Ryan Seacrest about touring with Keys. “I think she was just so cool, and it’s really dope to know she likes music enough and respects me as a musician enough to invite me out on the road and I think that’s where it starts. I’m definitely really excited about meeting her fans.”

His sophomore release Kaleidoscope catapulted him to R&B star status with the mesmerizing single “Adorn,” which was later remixed featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa. Miguel was born and raised in San Pedro, Calif. to a black mother and Mexican father who later divorced when he was eight. Devastated by the divorce and being biracial shaped his musical identity – maybe that’s why Miguel’s R&B style is unmatched by any of his male counterparts singing today.

“A few even said I should stay behind the scenes and write because I was a ‘hard sell’ as a half-Mexican guy who sounds black but looks Filipino,” he recalled for SoundDiego without a trace of resentment. “At first I took the advice – I wore the white tees, the fitted caps and the baggy jeans and focused on writing – but that didn’t work for me. Only when I said, ‘Forget what everyone else says, I should be,’ did the doors start to open for me as an artist.”

In his Grammy-winning for Best R&B song, “Adorn,” you can sense some Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” inspiration. Miguel told me it wasn’t intentional but the musical greatness of Marvin Gaye will seep through for an artist like himself. With the sounds that are brewing from Kaleidoscope, Miguel’s music is certainly going to be timeless and transcend genres and demographics.

“Overall, I call my style ‘ec-lectric’,” says the 26-year-old who considers himself a hybrid of Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Pharrell Williams. “It’s edgy and it defies category, but it still reaches the people.”

Miguel’s SNL debut will take place with the only and one Vince Vaughn on April 13. Don’t miss Dita Quiñones of GN$F!’s exclusive interview with Miguel coming soon to NBC 7′s “SoundDiego” after SNL.

GN$F! Tweeter Alert

Dita Quiñones — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:47:14 +0000

Don’t be jealous. Yes, that’s Miguel and I. Interview coming soon NBC “SoundDiego” We on that #Kaleidoscope #Life twitter.com/ghettonewsflas…

— Queen Dita (@ghettonewsflash) March 20, 2013

Carla Morrison Gets Confrontational In New Video

Dita Quiñones — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:43:48 +0000

As Tecate singer Carla Morrison gets geared up to perform in Mexico City for Vive Latino, the most important music festival in Mexico, she released her latest music video to “Disfruto,” which translates as to enjoy. Morrison, a self-proclaimed “hopeless romantic” poetically sings how to enjoy someone she is in love with. It’s the latest track off Déjenme Llorar, the album which earned her two Grammys (Best Alternative Music Album for Déjenme LLorar and Best Alternative Song for that same title track) late last year.

This music video that was released March 10 is so Carla Morrison: deep and romantic. Since getting politically active with fellow singer Natalia Lafourcade, Morrison has been exploring her voice as a Mexican citizen through music videos. “Disfruto” hits you head-on with a therapeutic patting from her rich lullaby voice. In the video you’re confroted with Morrison staring at you, never moving her lips to sing and using slight efforts of body language to express some of the lyrics.

At first it’s uncomfortable because you’re wondering, will the scene change? Will she do something different? But these feelings of discomfort and the unknown are reminiscent of being in love, aren’t they? Because there are no other actors in the video, you’re forced to really feel her emotions, to see her literal expressions and to hear her message. Yes, you are confronted to feel what she’s feeling. It’s such a simple video – it’s genius.

Source:

Best Transborder Music You Should’ve Watched in 2012

Dita Quiñones — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:38:10 +0000

Ana Tijoux/Maria y Jose/Prince Royce

What makes San Diego’s music landscape so rich and unique is the fact that it’s a bordertown with Tijuana as its neighbor. Transborder musical exchanges inadvertantly occur, creating some pretty incredible sounds and musical acts: Julieta Venegas, Nortec Collective, Ceci Bastida and Carla Morrison to name a few. In fact, Tijuana’s musicians are on the forefront of EDM with the ruidosón sound thanks to Los Macuanos, María y José and Santos. And for the record, transborder music isn’t all percussion or en Español and neither is Latin Alternative music.

Born in Tijuana and raised in S.D., I understand what the transborder musicians go through — they can’t help loving both American and Mexican music. You kind of just learn to master the balancing act between the two cultures. The Latin alternative genre is rebellious yet rooted, which makes the music so deep and universal. We spoke with an impressive lineup of local and celeb musicians last year. Check out the Best Transborder Music You Should’ve Watched in 2012:

Bostich + Fussible
Yes, yes, y’all. The pioneers of Tijuana’s nortec sound, Bostich + Fussible, took us out to the movies at UCSD to watch them compose a live score to Iron Fist, a Mexican silent from 1929. To describe Iron Fist I would say it was way ahead of its time and a precursor to films like Reefer Madness. The Tijuana duo did not disappoint audiences, bringing the silent film back to life and even making us dance in our seats.
Watch: “Take in a Movie with Bostich + Fussible”

Ana Tijoux
Interviewing Ms. Ana Tijoux – the Latin world’s answer to Lauryn Hill – as our debut in Latin Alternative music was impressive and not to mention crazy exciting because I had to keep mum about the Chilean femcee’s not-yet-revealed pregnancy. Tijoux rocked the Casbah crowd with baby bump, morning sickness and all. She even admitted to not being aware of AMC’s Breaking Bad cool factor until she saw an episode that used her mainstream hit song, “1977.”
Watch: “’Breaking Bad’ With Ana Tijoux”

Rodriguez
When I found out about how ’70s Mexican-American folk-rock legend Rodriguez’s career resurrected in 2010 thanks to a documentary called Searching for Sugar Man, it was imperative to get an interview. His debut album Cold Fact may have not been a U.S. hit because of plain ignorance but it hit the mark overseas. In fact, his Casbah performance brought San Diego’s South African community out in droves and they knew every lyric. And yes, there were even over-the-hill groupies ooing over Rodriguez. It’s a cold fact: Rodriguez is one of our hidden national treasures.
Watch: “The Sugar Man Returns”

All My Friends 2012 Music Festival
The festival’s trinity, Argenis Garcia, Pablo Dodero and Marty Preciado, organized a mammoth of a music festival last year in Tijuana that helped break the Mexico and U.S. divide. The AMF festival brought a roster of 41 indie bands: local and U.S. from Brooklyn to Long Beach on three different stages. The most notable genre that’s breaking EDM boundaries is ruidosón, a sound pioneered and coined by Tijuana’s very own Los Macuanos, who also headlined with Chelsea Wolfe and Helado Negro.
Watch: “All My Friends Are in Tijuana”

Prince Royce
The 23-year-old Grammy winner from the Bronx showed us why ladies love Prince Royce at Humphreys. He’s ridiculously charming and talented, not too mention over-the-top good looking. Prince Royce won American billboard charts over with his bachata rendition of B.B. King’s “Stand By Me” and the rest was history. Prince Royce knows how to marry the genres of hip-hop, R&B and bachata like none other. He’s the young pioneer who taught young American Latinos to love the roots of bachata music and that makes a lot of parents happy — making him the official ambassador of bachata music.
Watch: “Hail To The Prince”

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/sounddiego/Best-Transborder-Music-You-Shouldve-Watched-in-2012-185399482.html#ixzz2O3ye4ROy