The trials & tribulations of the techie….

In case you weren’t aware, we keep it mad independent around here. What I mean by that is we’re our own staff. So in addition to making hot hip-hop music, we’re also the CEO’s, the street team, the booking agents, the receptionists, the mail handlers, etc.

Except for one particular category : The Tech Guy. That resopnsibility falls mainly on moi.

Don’t get me wrong - my fam knows their way around a computer. But anything advanced (internet related) is normally my job to handle/fix. And I accept the job with pride. But, the next time you see a bug or an error on any of our websites…cry for me Argentina. Cause it’s probably gonna be another late night.

They don’t call me Bamm Tronics just cause it sounds good.

Is the world really ready for change?  Some days I think so.  Other days I know so.  But most days I’m not sure at all.  I’m not sure what it’s going to take.  In the political realm the problems are obvious.  In the black community realm, we all see our issues, but many of us have no idea where to start to deal with them (poverty, incarceration, AIDS, family, drugs, violence and disunity) In the music world (this is critical because it’s like our pulse) things are and have been ridiculously out of hand.  Artist are selling their souls everyday and being paid to give our kids poison.  I don’t know about the rest of the world, but enough is enough.  We are creating our own industry that has a mission to have international impacts especially for people of African descent.  The team is strong and undeniable and at this point we don’t have a choice.  

Peace and Blessings, Chen Lo 

I’m out in the Bay right now working to finish this album. It’s been hectic and it’s almost time for me to let it go. The world has to hear what we’ve been cooking for the last year. I’m scared, excited and anxious all at the same time.  A lot is going into this thing: blood, sweat, tears, emotions, experiences.  For real it’s just the beginning. I’m praying a working so this thing can spark a movement and allow my people to invoke a lasting change on our cultures and societies. It’s not about and album, it’s about a legacy.  Give thanks to all those who are standing beside me, behind me and for me.  Much love to those who believe in this dream.  Peace and Love to my grandmother (R.I.P.).   -Chen Lo-

We at Mad Maestro Entertainment promise to deliver you an honest representation of our artists and ourselves. So that goes without saying that our commitment to candor and openness will occasionally backfire on us, as in the previous post from our artist, Rexx from Triple Helix. Not only did Rexx confuse us all with his absurd remarks, but he somehow managed to corrupt the coding of the website and shutdown the blog for a number of hours. We had an internal meeting and our VP of Operations brilliantly put together a diagram to describe what happened the other night:

We have now officially set a maximum limit of 2.5 drinks for all of our bloggers. We hope this will resolve any future problems. Thank you so much for your understanding.
The Mad Maestro Intervention Team

…do I dare type this rambling rant? I sit, forced to tap these keys at gun point by a Swedish bandit that has a strangle hold on the remaining hours I have left tonight. Sooooo I want to say hi and goodbye to the people who will go past this post after one glance then move on to something they feel is more important. As long as you know that what I have to offer is bigger than what you usually see. I’m confident we’ll cross paths again. For our music is eternal and has a way of sneeking up on ya. Til that day comes…….

Rexx Banner

” I’ll get you beer baron”………………

I love CMJ. It’s about 1:30AM in New York on Monday morning and this is about the first time in a week that I am chilling with nothing to do. This week has been crazy. Seemingly, every underground label artist was in town and there were shows and parties everywhere. My Shaman Work family did it real big with a bangin’ party on Friday and a show on Saturday with a performance from Scienz of Life (go cop the album). One of my favorite events of the weekend was the Scion King of the Beats Final at B.B Kings. The joint was crazy! Big ups to all the producers involved but M-Rock and Frequency, you guys killed it. The beat that Frequency played in round 2 of his battle against M-Rock was ridiculous (now I’m totally gonna dust of that MPC). To close out the event, WuTang performed with a 12 piece band! It was great to see WuTang, who in my opinion is the greatest group ever. Hearing all of the Wu classics was therapeutic and Raekwon and GZA provided comic relief as they made fun of the band, who he claimed was killing his flow with poor timing. “I’m looking at the drum n**ga waiting for the beat to drop and he’s looking at the piano playin n**ga who is looking at the saxophone playing n**ga. This is all messed up,” GZA joked. Despite the problems with the band, it was a great show and a great night.
God Bless, Javon

My name is Javon and I am a blog addict. Everyone: “Hey Javon.” Well before I continue to subject you to a myriad of my ramblings over the next couple of months, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce my self to those that do not know me.
I got started in music as a producer and an emcee when I was about 7 years old. My mom bought me a Casio keyboard with 1 and a half seconds of sampling time and after that I was battling Kool Moe Dee in the bathroom mirror everyday. Years later, I began producing professionally, long after putting down the mic at the urging of friends and family, and worked on a number of albums, most notably:

Killah Priest (Wu Tang)
Album: Black August Revisited
“Big World”

Triple Helix Experiment
Album: Building Blocks
Tracks: ‘My Explanation”, ‘The Resistance”, ‘The Vagabond Theme”, ‘50 Grand”
Featuring: Keisha Kotton

Down From Upstairs
Album: The Rooftop Sessions
Tracks: ‘No Applause”, ‘Life Gets”
Featuring: Josh One

I would say that Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Jay Dee (R.I.P.), Hi-Tek, Madlib, MF Doom and 9th Wonder are some of my top production influences. You can check out some of the music that I have produced on my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/maestroceo . Since my partners and I formed Mad Maestro Entertainment, I haven’t had the time to produce, but I figure my time is best spent bringing you heat from artists like Kallisto, Chen Lo and Triple Helix. Still, don’t count out the kid, because I have been contemplating dusting off the MPC. Please visit: www.MadMaestro.com/MME_Presents to support the movement and purchase the latest good music from our team.

God Bless, Javon

We have been receiving a number of orders for the Triple Helix Building Blocks LP. Surprisingly the majority of the orders have been from Japan!!! I want to say a big thank you to everyone, but most of all my Japanese brothers and sisters, for their incredible support of both Mad Maestro Entertainment and Triple Helix.

I have traveled many places, but I was most blown away by my trip to Japan a year ago, which gave me a new appreciation for the Japanese culture and showed me their great appreciation of ours. Upon first arriving in Japan, I realized that I had truly been deprived by living in the United States. Let me say one word… bidet. Not having to worry about FCC restrictions, Japanese toilets were powered by high-tech switchboard control devices with features such as heated seats and directional water spray that made trips to the bathroom effortless and overall enjoyable. Another way that the Japanese have edged out the U.S. is that you can substitute Mc Nuggets for fries at McDonald’s in Japan; thus creating the perfect Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 6 piece nuggets and Coke Combo. As deference and respect are ingrained into the attitudes of the Japanese, it was a stark contrast to the harsh attitude of many New York natives. I got lost looking for the subway in Japan and a man walked me three blocks in the opposite direction to which he was traveling in order to help me find my way. I was also struck by the cleanliness of Tokyo, a city that was recorded as having approximately 15 million inhabitants. The lack of litter was a testament to the appreciation that the Japanese have for their environment. I am reminded of a time when I was in the New York subway and a city worker simply poured bleach over a spot where someone had urinated, thus creating a new heinous concoction that he did not bother to mop up. As a foreigner in both New York and Japan, I am definitely under the impression that my New York brethren could adopt a few policies from the Japanese to make my relatively short tenure in NY a little bit more pleasant.
Back to my initial point (sorry for the nonsensical ramblings), thinking that the Japanese culture would be dominated by local tastes and preferences; it was interesting to witness the culture’s affinity and appreciation for hip hop music from the United States. Everywhere we went they were playing hip hop…I mean everywhere! From small noodle restaurants to large clubs, hip hop was the soundtrack of the culture. There are some true hip hop heads in Japan and I am definitely feeling the scene. Thanks again for the support and look for a Triple Helix show in a Japanese city near you.

To buy the Triple Helix album, please check out: http://www.MadMaestro.com/MME_Presents . If you don’t have it already, make sure to click on Kallisto’s Pay Homage LP and cop that as well. - God Bless, Javon

I am taking an introductory Dreamweaver class so that I am able to provide you with timely updates and site improvements. I just posted my first website and I believe that you can see the roots of greatness. Take a look: http://ciswebs.smc.edu/cis59/Frazier_Javon_Austin/
I know…it’s too much to handle. Well, I gotta go. I’m expecting a call from Steve Jobs any minute now.

God Bless, Javon