Chris Lighty

The man who, literally, put me on...Baby Chris. I am at a loss for words right now. - Chadio

Man, I'm really sorry about Chris Lighty. Such a nice guy to me & my band. May God rest his soul. Peace to his family. - Questlove

Very sad to hear about the passing of friend and #Violater founder Chris Lighty. Rest in Peace brother. - Slimkid3

My Heart Is Heavy..I'm Numb ..This is the man who sign me to my first Major label Violator/Relativity/Sony. RIP Chris Lighty - Frankie Cutlass

Lighty was one of my #heroes. Hope his soul finds peace. - Tajai

If you are REALLY in Hip Hop you know Chris... If you're not... You have NO idea how important and what a great person he was - Ice T

terrible news.. tremendous loss R.I.P. big homie - Prodigy

RIP Chris Lighty. Today, we lost a hip-hop hero and one of its greatest architects - Russell Simmons

Devastated by the news of Chris Lighty's passing. He was my friend, my brother and an enlightened human being. I will forever miss him - Dante Ross

Shows how people you have love for u need to get up w/em or check N w/em because you never know.. Violator Baby Chris ( Lighty ) RIP - Posdnuos

R I P Chris Lighty SMH to the mongrels that have made the BLACKmusic industry a depressing game to drag such good cats into a pit of bullsht - Chuck D

I am truly shaken to hear of the passing of my good friend CHRIS LIGHTY, he was an integral part of Brand Nubian's career... - Lord Jamar

He played a part in our coming up.. R.I.P. CL. Prayers to Family and Friends.. - Bootie Brown

Chris Lighty, smart and successful record exec, and an undeniably great guy, is dead. Self inflicted gunshot wound. Tragic. - Toure

RIP "baby" Chris Lighty. First time I met him was this day on 89' when he was road managing the JB's. Good guy, great sense of humor. - Domino

R.I.P CHRIS LIGHTY THE MAN THAT SAVED MY LIFE!!! - Fat Joe

my mind is blown... i (as well Chi Ali) personally helped Chris get Violator off the ground ... he was Black Sheeps first manager.. no words - Dres

"Road Manager, yeah...this joint is slamming."

TIFF 2012

I probably shouldn't be going this year, but if I do attend, I hope to see the following:

Shorter-list

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)
*Only if I can get a ticket for the Premium Screening

Short-list

Amour (Michael Haneke)
Foxfire: Confessions of a Gang (Laurent Cantet)
Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)
Middle of Nowhere (Ava DuVernay)
The Place Beyond The Pines (Derek Cianfrance)
Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard)
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
Something in the Air (Olivier Assayas)
To The Wonder (Terrence Malick)

Long-list

Augustine (Alice Winocour)
Blackbird (Jason Buxton)  < --- Patriotic pick
Central Park Five (Ken Burns)
Dangerous Liasons (Hur Jin-ho)
Like Someone In Love (Abbas Kiarostami)

Friend of the blog, Marko Orlic, posted his picks earlier this week; you can peep them right here: Link

There's some crossover on between our lists.

Chi-Ali

Funky Lemonade

Let The Horns Blow (Featuring Dres, Trugoy The Dove, Fashion, and Phife)

Roadrunner Reference Track

Carpenters with Carol Burnett - Bacharach/David Medley

"The oldies are coming back."



Post Update:

R.I.P. Hal David (May 25, 1921 - September 1, 2012)

Hip Hop Demos b/w DJ JS-1: Demolition Mix

I love demos.

To be clear, I used the term loosely, for the most part including anything that hasn't been released commercially, but mostly focusing on those unmixed, un-mastered, tape hiss fests that were traded like baseball cards, pre-dating the MP3 explosion.

Many cringe the moment they realize the sound quality isn't close to meeting their standards, but while I do appreciate excellent sound, it has never been a deal breaker for me, especially with Hip-Hop. If there's a rhythm I can latch onto, interesting samples, and a competent mcing, I'm good. I'm just as comfortable bumping Scenario by the Beastie Boys, as I am with a track from 2001.

Sound politics aside, I think the biggest draw of demos is their historical, archaeological, anthropological value. (I think I just did a Hiero there) It's a great way to try to find some insight and clues concerning the history and development of your favorite artists.

DJ JS-1 has put together a mix containing over 3 hours of demo tracks. You might have already heard some (or many) of these tracks, but you may find a gem or two previously unheard.

Download: Link

Also, here are a few random favorites which I don't believe are included in the above-noted mix.

CRU - Understand Me


Snoop Doggy Dogg - The Next Episode (featuring Dr. Dre)


Ras Kass - Everything I Love


Souls of Mischief - Towaway Zone

This Is Not A Game

Die-hard

This blog supports the FiyaStarter crew.

Spearheaded by Emmy-nominated writer/producer, Basa (ESPN 30 for 30 WIthout Bias, BET's American Gangster), This Is Not a Game is a documentary style web-series, which chronicles the lives of diehard sports fans as they follow their favorite teams and experience the joy of victory and the desolate, soul-swallowing torment of any result that can’t be referred to as “victory.”

The crew have set-up a funding campaign on Indiegogo, hoping for contributions to offset some of their early production costs. If you're interested in seeing this series air, or are a fan of the podcast/blog and want to help the brothers out, donate fund though their campaign page, or spread the word to those who might be interested in helping out.

This Is Not A Game: Campaign Page

FiyaStater Interview: Link