This is Hakim Wray- Mad Maestro Sports.

The NY Knick fans have clearly fed into the continuous negative press against Isiah Thomas from the NY media over the last three years. When in history has a GM or Coach ever been so second-guessed and criticized for every decision and non-decision before. One has to wonder if there is some kind of benign jealousy over this man having so much authority in a town that still struggles with race relations. There are virtually no people of color covering the Knicks however; all but one player on the Knicks is a person of color (David Lee). No one wants to suggest race as an issue for the overly critical media, because when you win no one says anything too harsh because the fans and readers would see right through the motives of a lot of these beat writers.

The suggestion that Larry Brown was more suited for this job and group of players is absurd. His coaching style is “his way or the highway,” that’s not going to work in today’s league, the players aren’t like they were in the seventies, eighties and even the early nineties. Brown will probably coach somewhere next year but he will have to change his style to match the team not the other way around like he tried to do here in NY. And, he has to stop picking fights with his star players (Reggie Miller, David Robinson, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.) He wasn’t even liked by the starting five that got him his first ring in Detroit. The USA basketball team got a bronze medal in the Olympics after grabbing gold in three prior Olympics, that wasn’t because Brown didn’t have the talent, the players didn’t have time to mesh together and several players didn’t agree with Larry’s coaching style so he didn’t play them (Carmelo Anthony, Dewayne Wade, Stephon Marbury, Lebron James). Come on Pamela Anderson could have coached those players to victory, all she had to do was say to them “go out there have some fun guys and let’s bring home the gold.” Instead Larry Brown is trying to teach a rigid point guard led offense when he doesn’t have one pure pass first point guard on the entire team. His longest tenure was six seasons with Philadelphia 76ers and he feuded with Allen Iverson the whole time, Larry Brown has been hyped up as a Hall of Fame coach but if you look at his history, his career winning percentage is slightly above .550 not exactly Hall of Fame and he goes from team to team alienating players with his Napoleon control freak personality. Brown has no loyalty to any team let alone his players or GM’s. Isiah Thomas hooked him up with a cushy five year deal worth 50 million based purely on respect, not winning percentage or number of championship rings and what does Larry Brown do he tries sabotage Isiah in effort to get him fired so he could have his job as GM. If wasn’t for Dolan seeing thru Brown’s scheme and 10 out of 14 NY Knick players saying they thought it was Larry Brown’s fault that the Knicks only won 23 games in 2005 when the exit interviews were held at the end of the season, Isiah would have gotten shafted during the summer and Brown would have took over until he decided to quit, once he realized the Knicks were headed to another losing season under his tenure. Brown has and always will think about the best interests of Larry Brown. The Knicks will be better off just forgetting the year of Next Town Brown. That was the biggest mistake Isiah Thomas made in his tenure as GM, he tried to please the fans with a big name coach, when he knew this team was rebuilding.

The NY Knicks have been a bad team since Van Gundy left, yet the fact that they are not meeting Knick fans expectations makes this Knick team get booed at home and it falls on Isiah’s shoulders. Layden left this team a mess that many educated Gm’s in the NBA aswell as beat writers suggested it would take five years to repair no matter who was in charge because of the 100 million dollar payroll and untradeable players. Isiah has added an additional 35 million to the payroll but the cap is at 60 million and they were not getting under the cap. What would you rather wack players like we once had or a new foundation to start with either way we are rebuilding?

Last night was a terrible defensive performance by the Knicks, but also a great performance by a Washington team that has been underachieving all year long. This is a rebuilding team meaning they will win some and lose some on the way to consistently winning. If you have ever played on any team in your life that won games you would know that chemistry is the most important part of the team. The Knicks are building that and figuring out who will play together. Even though the Knicks have an 8-14 record they have learned a lot in those losses that will help them become a better. Real athletes know and understand the importance of building chemistry and it doesn’t matter if your team has too many guards or too many forwards, it just matters that they trust one another and understand what people are capable of.

The Knicks have four players that have shown us that the future is bright ( Eddy Curry, David Lee, Quentin Richardson and Renaldo Balkman). If Stephon could get it together that would be a great fourth quarter lineup. I still prefer to start with Jared Jeffries in place of Balkman, once he is off the injured list. So many people wanted Tyrus Thomas over Eddy Curry. Eddy Curry has developed into a very good low post player who can become dominate once he gains the confidence. Curry is still playing raw and unpolished, yet he is able to put eight straight 20 point games and double doubles in his last three games. Tyrus Thomas is riding he bench averaging less than 4 points and 3 rebounds a game. David Lee is a consistent hustle rebounder and will average a double double by the end of the year. Quentin is making a case for most improved player.
And, Balkman knows how to finish strong, play defense, rebound and push the ball up the court for a fast break.

The Knicks will begin to win with more consistency once Jared Jeffries hits the floor, because our defense will be better and the team will be better balanced. Have faith Knick fans and stop listening to people who watch games for a living and have never played a day in their lives. The only advantage when it comes to having basketball knowledge that they have over the average spectator is that they get paid to watch and critique games, whereas the average fans just has to suck it up or let out their frustration in a blog.

Hakim Wray – Mad Maestro Sports

Ron Patterson’s passion for music has only grown stronger since he began his career at the young age of 11. Over the past 13 years he has cultivated his natural talent and skill.

 As a child, Ron was the lead vocalist of the soulful Hip Hop group the Fly Guys. From 1990 to 1994 the group appeared on BET’s Screen Scene, the nationally syndicated television show ROC, made numerous live appearances and was featured many times in Fresh magazine. Actor/Director Charles S. Dutton saw such great potential in the guys that he wasted no time signing on as their financial manager.

The members of the Fly Guys were a success, but at such a young age, still had many years of education ahead both in school and in life. The group broke up, but Ron was not discouraged, his genuine love of music and entertainment led him to start producing and writing for himself as a solo artist. Ron’s gift of music also allowed him to teach himself how to play the piano and the guitar.

A few years later, Ron made the responsible decision to continue his schooling, and attended UC Berkeley. He graduated with degrees in Cognitive Science and Mathematics, and his involvement in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. both empowered him and taught him the true meaning of self-discipline. To this day, the sum of his experiences at Berkeley makes Ron a more marketable artist. Throughout his time at Cal, Ron never gave up on his dreams of one day becoming a renowned musical talent. In fact, the knowledge he gained has made him not only a musician, but also a businessman with a plan and control of his career.

This past year has been a virtual whirlwind for Ron; he has opened for artists like Brian McKnight, Deborah Cox, Chico DeBarge & Aaron Hall, filmed his first music video, and spent hours in the studio each song even hotter than the one before. Look out for his phenomenal solo debut in 2007.  For more on Ron Patterson, including music and videos, please visit www.ronpatterson.com.    

“Under the Radar” at Mad Maestro News showcases the talents of artists that are not officially a part of Mad Maestro Entertainment but share in our movement to advance music that inspires and uplifts people.  If you are interested in being featured in “Under the Radar” please email music@madmaestro.com.

J-Harris AKA Joseph H. Fleming has found a way through his music, with sound and words, to look into your heart and speak to your soul, to have a conversation with you in a place inside of you that you may not even know exists.  Pay attention to his words, while youre enjoying his music and youll find that place. He has categorized his music as MCM which stands for Music with a Conscious Message. Im conscious of what I put out there; I feel its really important in todays world to do so.  Music is now the weapon of the future, and my purpose is to be a blessing to others, not a hindrance. J-Harris is a singer/songwriter/producer/dancer/consultant/manager from New York City.  He has been blessed to have performed all over the world from London to Aruba to N.Y.; to TV performance features on MTV and The WB.  His mission is to inspire and bring hope and self-empowerment to all that hear his music.  His dream is to reach as many people with his message, as possible, in hopes of making a positive difference in the world.  Since the release of his debut multi-single CD, Footprints, J-Harris has received nothing but praise from his growing and dedicated fan base.  J-Harris is committed to making music that inspires and has a conscious message.  Every song I write has a message in it, whether its about love, hope, self-empowerment or how to get through the strugglethe message is there J-Harris has a militant beat to most of his music because he believes in stepping towards a better place.  One may easily define his music as a cross between Stevie Wonder meets Michael Jackson or Lauryn Hill meets Donnel Jones.  However, his breath taking dynamic live show and his beautiful and melodic voice has a sincere and spiritual quality that sets him apart from all others.  In the fall of 2004, J-Harris started a new independent company based out of New York City known as Maschil Entertainment Inc.  Maschil was one of Davids musicians referred to in Psalms as one who wrote songs with words of wisdom.  Maschil Entertainment Inc. is an independent label, consulting firm and management company that specializes in artist development and promoting music and artists with a conscious and positive message.  He has worked and done consulting for top entertainment companies Sony/BMG, Universal, MTVN and Music World Entertainment.  His most recent project is up and coming Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Guitarist/Producer David Homyk. He is also working hard at completeing his own cd; currently accepting songs and tracks from all producers and writers for a fall release. A mini CD will be released Oct. 7th at the MCM Movement concert.

“Under the Radar” at Mad Maestro News showcases the talents of artists that are not officially a part of Mad Maestro Entertainment but share in our movement to advance music that inspires and uplifts people.  If you are interested in being featured in “Under the Radar” please email music@madmaestro.com.

As the fallout over the Sean Bell continues the usual jockeying over who’s more “innocent” is ratcheting up in the New York media. The police officers claim that they were “justified” in shooting, which is another way of saying that they are innocent of the accusations being leveled against them. On the other side, the survivors Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield have the lack of a gun and their bullet-riddled car as proof of their own innocence. The police attorneys remained adamant that there was a fourth shooter, who miraculously has yet to appear. Along with taking needed attention from the two men lying in their hospital beds, this defiant search for the fourth shooter, presumably the lone guilty party in this case, this quest takes away from the most glaring issue: If the undercover officers were in the club investigating accusations of drug dealing and prostitution, why did they follow the non-drug carrying or prostitute bearing trio of Bell, Benefield and Guzman out of the club?

Wouldn’t wielding all of their might on these three jeopardize their entire investigation?

Just a thought.

Remaining on this question of guilt and innocence for a few more moments, NYTimes Columnist Bob Herbert produced this opinion piece on the December 4th narrating another incident in which a group of young people were intimidated by undercover officers. Except this time there was no shooting and the multi-racial group of Ivy-League graduates, one bound for Harvard Law, went virtually unimpaired. Herbert’s piece is entitled “Presumed Guilty” as in the two black men were presumed guilty of stealing the car in which they were sitting. However, as it turns out this article might have been well served being titled ‘very lucky’:

It turned out that the cops were acting on a mistaken computer report that Mr.
Rowley’s car was stolen. As frightening as the incident was, the four people in the car were lucky that none of the cops opened fire. “I spent that night in jail,” said Mr. Rowley, “and a lot of the officers told me that if this had been elsewhere — for example, if this had been in the Bronx or Harlem — I’d have been dead.”

The quote comes from one of the victims pounced upon by the officers in front of the Union Square train station at 14th street in NY’s Village.

I was alarmed (definitely not surprised) to hear the declaration “if this has been in the Bronx or Harlem — I’d have been dead.”

Are we all ready to agree that Black people living in certain sections of New York city are expendable? We know about the health concerns of living in communities without adequate grocery stores, and chemical plants that increases one’s chances of asthma and lead poisoning. Should we just go ahead and list certain districts as EBPZs (Expendable Black People Zones)? Maybe come up with traffice signs, better yet, tolls to iterate that you are entering a EBPZ at your own risk.

This would have to be a national programme, because as the case of Brandon Burks, the 16year old Michigan teen shot and killed on Sunday November 26th, this phenomena extends well beyond New York. Burks’s case also involved a plainclothes police officer, this time one moonlighting as a security guard.
For most of the twentieth century African Americans knew that we had to alter our behavior if we traveled through the South, the original EBPZ. The murder of Emmett Till brought these horrors to the fore of the nation’s consciousness and those working in the Civil Rights Movemements of the 50s, 60s, and 70s did their best to eradicate as many of these EBPZs as possible. It appears now that we are now at the tipping point, either there’s going to be a new proliferation of EBPZ as African Americans are gentrified out of the prime spaces in major cities and segregated into new/old ghettos–or and I hope this happens, that some serious changes occur and we never hear these words again “if this has been in the Bronx or Harlem — I’d have been dead.”
One might say that it’s a tragic coincidence that Bell and Burk’s deaths took place on the same weekend, but the facility with which African Americans have been able to avail testimonies of similar incidents suggests that these deaths go far beyond coincidence.

Police officers as a whole should not be unjustly indicted for the actions of a few.

Instead, what we need is a very frank national discussion about policing before the American nightmare of totalitarian regimes really take shape. The fact that so many African Americans in particular, and young people in general can easily rattle off incidents of harassment at the hands of police officers suggests that too many Americans are forced to vascillate between fearing officers and having to rely on them, neither of which is conducive to effective police work.

For a limited time only click here to download the entire Pay Homage Album for free. That’s right, the entire Pay Homage album and album artwork absolutely free!!! Pay Homage is produced by Kallisto and was the flagship album for Mad Maestro Entertainment. We want to say thank you to all of our fans and supporters by giving you this special gift. Happy Holidays from the Mad Maestro team.

For all real NY Knick Fans, the days of Scott Layden were far worse than they are now.  Our roster before Isiah Thomas in the fall of 2003 consisted of Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Clarence Weatherspoon, Frank Williams, Maicej Lampe, Othella Harrington, Travis Knight, Dikembe Mutombo, Michael Sweetney, Lavar Postell, Kurt Thomas, Keith Van Horn, Injured Allan Houston and Injured Antonio Mcdyess.  The beat writers that cover the Knicks target Isiah as if he has done such a terrible job upgrading the roster, but before Isiah came here the same writers said that whomever took over this team would have to rebuild it by starting completely over and it would take at least five years to do so because the Knicks were so far above the cap and had players nobody in the league wanted.  All Isiah has managed to do in his three years is get rid of all those players and bring in players that are younger, with more trade value and much more exciting and talented but no matter how talented they are they still need time to gel together.  The Pistons, Lakers, Rockets, Spurs and Bulls all needed two to three years playing with each other before they were able to take home the Championship rings.  It takes time for players to learn how to play with each other. Isiah is only in year three of that five year turnaround and the outlook look a lot more inspiring than it did before he got here. Isiah’s worst decision since he got here was hiring Larry Brown.  Next Town Brown set the Knicks up, they were desperate and he knew it.  He had no intention of being here to see this team get better, he just strong-armed the Knicks into a 50 million dollar deal and in his control-freak way of doing things alienated every player on the team except Jamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson. Larry used the beat writers to insult his players and make his move to get Isiah fired and have complete control of the team.  Isiah has made some mistakes i.e. Moochie Norris, Maurice Taylor, Jerome Williams, Jerome James and Jalen Rose trades, but Kevin McHale has been in charge of the Minnesota Timberwolves for eleven seasons and he hasn’t been able to get them consistently in the playoffs, so why aren’t people calling for his head?  Kevin O’Connor has been in charge of the Utah jazz for seven years and where have they gone since Malone and Stockton?  Carroll Dawson with Houston Underachievers, he has been in charge for 10 years and they can’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs.  Isiah is building a young exciting team that is still a work in progress but the more they play together, the more cohesive they will be and that will translate into wins. After November the Knicks will be alright, they will turn it around and make the playoffs as an eighth or seventh seed with a record of (42-40). I know that seems optimistic but if you look at their schedule it lightens up in their favor, and once we get Jared Jeffries in there at the small forward and slide Quentin Richardson down to the two guard position, the Knicks will be stronger defensively. Kelvin Cato and Renaldo Balkman need more minutes on the floor for defense and rebounding and David Lee should be starting alongside Eddy Curry. Curry will be a better low post threat when he doesn’t have to worry about grabbing rebounds, rebounding is about effort and Curry has shown he is not there yet as far as give effort consistently, so we have to work with what we got and complement his strengths by putting a hustle player alongside him.  David could easily average 10 rebounds a game while playing excellent defense, getting put backs/tip-ins and grabbing lose balls that would inspire the rest of team to work harder.  Channing Frye is a finesse player so he would be a good change of pace coming of the bench providing offense with the second unit players.  The starting lineup when Jared Jeffries gets healthy will consist of Eddy Curry, David Lee, Jared Jeffries, Quentin and Marbury with a strong second unit of Frye, Cato, Francis, Crawford and Robinson.  Don’t count the Knicks or Isiah out yet. For Mad Maestro Sports, this is Hakim Wray signing off, and I’ll be back as soon as I see another one-sided attempt from the Knicks beat writers, who attempt to distort and discredit the work of Isiah Thomas or any other powerful person of color.

There is a dangerous trend going on in music.  Along with the increased consolidation of major labels there has been a frightening movement with regards to the elimination of brick and mortar music retailers.  The most famous and recent case is the national liquidation of Tower Record stores.  Although a major retail chain, Tower Records was noted as being a refuge for many independent artists and labels.  With the eradication of Tower records many independents found themselves homeless and thus retreated back to the local family owned “Ma and Pa” retailers and of course the internet.  For me, the local family owned retailers have always been my first choice when it is time to purchase music.  Ironically, the selection in smaller retailers is always more varied than larger retailers and as anyone that has shopped at a small retailer knows, the service is a lot better.  So you can imagine how distraught I was to learn that my favorite music retailer Music Emporium was closing down.

Many times I had ventured into Music Emporium not knowing what I was looking for only to come out with great albums like Hezekiah’s “Hurry Up And Wait”, Pumpkinhead’s “Orange Moon Over Brooklyn” and The Strange Fruit Project’s “The Healing.”  Being able to talk to my man CHAOS, who holds down the store, and get recommendations on good new music, regardless of record sales or popularity, has been invaluable.  As a music lover it is so great to come to a place that is not marred by recommendations of 50 cent, Ying Yang Twins or other flavors of the month, but is truly interested in music for music’s sake.  With the closing of Music Emporium, I feel a little more lost in this world of increasing commercialism and cultural ambiguity.

So I guess this is my last stitched effort in rallying the troops who have been hurt by the closing of their favorite stores, like Arons Record Store, who closed its doors after serving Los Angeles for 40 years.  As the content providers are closing its doors on independents, if we lose the distribution channels, our record stores, all is most certainly lost.  Please support your local independent music retailers and if you are in Brooklyn, please check out Music Emporium.  Hip hop is dying, but at least we can fight to keep it alive a little longer.

Music Emporium is located at 286 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 638-0550.   

God Bless, Javon 

A new video titled “Ya’ll Should All Get Lynched!” is creating quite a buzz on the internet.  The video takes a controversial look at the current state of Hip Hop.  As a result of its content, it was recently banned on YouTube.  We at Mad Maestro Entertainment would like to hear your thoughts? Click here to check out the video.

God Bless, Javon

We at Mad Maestro Entertainment have been blessed to have Ferentz Lafargue as a contributing writer for our Mad Maestro Blog.  Ferentz is an assistant professor of literature at Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts.  He holds a PhD in African American Studies and American Studies from Yale University and a BA in Africana Studies and English from Queens College, City University of New York.  Ferentz is currently at work on a memoir, Songs in the Key of my Life (Harlem Moon) that is slated for publication in May 2007.  As part of his commitment to public education and youth development in New York, Ferentz has been developing a youth writing workshop “The Word Exchange.”  The objective of “The Word Exchange” is to foster critical thinking skills and nurture young people’s natural inclinations for connections between authors, words and ideas.  We are thrilled to have Ferentz’s exceptional views on news and current events, the arts and overall pursuits for justice to enhance your experience on our blog.

God Bless, Javon