Blindian or Indiack???

This particular situation I'm going to describe is something not entirely too major. It is more about what kind of different ways my views have changed in relation to society today. Let me offer a briefly extended background of my upbringing. Nothing to in detail, yet, but you can get an understanding of the foundation I was brought up on. I grew up in Minot, North Dakota. I was actually born on the air force base near by and grew up in an even smaller town known as Ruthville, home to a gas station, a hooters, and a pizza hut. I then relocated to the base and grew up with other air force brats. From time to time, we would leave the air force base, venturing into Minot or "downtown" as we called it. As we got closer to town, the vibe would change. It was obvious there was a difference between people from the air force base and people from Minot. That's why they called people "basers." It was something I still don't understand. I just place myself on a pedestal above those fucks and do my thing but I digress...You knew you were not a part of whatever kind of society Minot happens to be. (Personally, I think Minot is full of backwards thinking idiots that don't want things to change....fuck it.) As if being a "baser" wasn't different enough, I  also happen to be half native american and half black, a halfling, a mulatto, mixed child, whatever the fuck you want it to be. However, to most people in Minot, I was just black and nothing else and probably a few other things when I wasn't around. A number of my friends had no idea I was a nice, chocolately, blend of ethnicites. They would tell me "I just assumed you were full black," it's the same answer every time. Guarantee someone reading this right now is just finding this information out. But I digress...I never endured much direct racism. Most people just had a prejudgment of who I already was and I knew it. I was probably just some black dude that smokes weed and steals and all that shit and listens to hip hop and is going to steal their white daughter. A few of those are true but still....I definitely didn't give a shit what people thought of me. It's moments like this, I remember exactly who the lady was at Scheel's sporting goods and how she would follow me around, every fucking time, just waiting for me to swipe something. Had my friend never pointed it out to me, I never would have noticed it because I don't care about it so much but this lady chose to view me as a criminal immediately and that's understandable. Maybe I looked like someone from past experiences that stole from the store. I can imagine she gave herself a pat on the back for preventing another theft, the dumb bitch...But I digress...I don't care for skin color at all. I don't give a fuck what you look like. You fuck up. I fuck up. You hurt. I hurt. You feel. I feel. The color of my skin doesn't change that fact, nor does the color of anyone else's. That has always been my approach.

What is unfortunate, however, is that there is not very many people who view it this way and knowingly do so, which is fine. Everybody has their prejudices and personal opinions. It's human nature, it's just how we associate things. It's easy to look at me eating a piece of chicken and think "Typical..." because that's just the stereotype....my question to anyone out there though...who the fuck does not like chicken? I now know what Dave Chappelle means. If you don't like chicken there IS something wrong with you BUT I DIGRESS. The main point of this article is to deliver a change in my personal thought process. Let me explain how I discovered my thought process has been redirected: One day, as I was gathering my things to hop on the bus, my normal routine involves making sure I have what I need and to NEVER forget my iPad and headphones. My headphones are of a pretty nice model, I spent a nice amount on them. As I was making the move for the door, I happened to notice it was raining outside and decided if I was going to be wearing my headphones, I better put on a sweater. I proceed to my bedroom and looked amongst the various sorts of sweaters I had. I reached for my black sweater and thought "Can I wear a black sweater with my hood up without someone thinking I'm up to something?" Marinate on that for a moment. I'm not the type of person that looks at those kind of things. But as someone who observes from an outside perspective, I saw myself, a black man wearing a black hoodie with the hood up. I ended up wearing it, but the fact that the thought even crossed my mind freaks me out. Makes me wonder what other kind of bullshit I'm being led to believe...OH WELL. What do I know, I'm just a pot smoking, rapper after all.

Jantzonia - "Law of Attraction" Album Review

      In most scenarios of an album or mixtape being released, there is some sort of introduction that sets up a general feel for what to expect throughout the course of the CD. Such is not the case for Jantzonia's "Law of Attraction," the latest work coming from the upcoming North Dakota rapper. "Under the Sea," the first song from the album, begins with a deep pitched laugh that brings you into LOA and within about 2 bars, the rapping begins and it works quite well. Jantzonia throws in a fluctuation of styles, exampled by the lines stating, "...My faculty can't even keep close to me/ socially/ anymore would think maybe they'd noticed me/ but ehh/ I'm probably wrong..." It's delivered with such ease and confidence and it is impressive how often the style is switched over so many dope beats. The overall feel of the album is reminiscent of the hip hop golden days and homage is being paid with Jantzonia's new school influences, which is certainly  a breath of fresh air to those looking for music worth listening to. You will understand a bit about Jantzonia as a person and it certainly is an interesting tale. By the time a listener hears "...zoning out and rhymin' is all I really know...," the catchy hook to "All I Really Know" featuring Beezy, one should have an idea as to what to expect through the rest of the CD, which is a great thing because the amount of original concepts throughout this CD is impressive and adds a bit of anxiousness and leaves one wondering "What's this kid gonna do next?" or "How the hell does he make that work?" It's a highly commendable effort.
     With the variations of synthesized, trip hop beats mixed with old school hip hop sounds, the hunger and passion in Jantzonia's voice, it's hard to not acknowledge the amount of skill this kid has. It is evident that Jantzonia's lyrical ability is in a category of it's very own with few that could step in the ring and contest it. Where Jantzonia really shines is when he is in control of his ability, delivering with finesse. Reference the song "Make It Drop" for a perfect example. The airy sounds on the beat produced by Kashy, who is also featured on the song, come together for a nice, groovy, vibe and it is very easy to be captured right away with the distinct sound it has. Kashy compliments Jantzonia very well  on the track. The precision and punctuality of Jantzonia's verse is very impressive. Things get real nostalgic with a hybrid, 90's sound on "Same Old Hoodie", which is another showcase of Jantzen's versatility, further imprinting his ability to move from the traditional hip hop sound to trippy, bass heavy, slower tempo sound such as "preZENtation." It's quite the arsenal with the talent brought to the table over this album. All things considered, what a person will get from "Law of Attraction" as a whole is a well tuned machine that works on multiple levels. There is great quality between these tracks and Jantzonia can and does deliver. The future is very bright for this individual and his future works.
    


Rating: 8/10     


     Personal Favorites:
     "Make It Drop" featuring Kashy
     "What We Love"
     "All I Really Know" featuring Beezy

Download Link: http://www.datpiff.com/Jantzonia-Law-Of-Attraction-mixtape.645754.html


Click here and like Jantzonia's Facebook Page!