Letter to ?uest
June 19, 2009
Dear ?uest-
What’s up, my name is Stan Ipcus, and I am a 31 year old rapper from White Plains, New York. I am writing you because I am very interested in making a guest appearance at one of your upcoming Jam Sessions at Highline Ballroom, which would be my second on stage performance with you and your band. That’s right, I have performed with The Roots before. Don’t remember me? Well here’s my story.
That’s the ticket stub from the first time I ever saw The Roots live. It was August 1996. I had just graduated from White Plains High School, and was a couple weeks shy of heading off to college at the University of Maryland. A bunch of my boys and I drove down to the Knitting Factory from White Plains, excited to see your performance. We parked a block away, on the streeet behind the venue, and as we rounded the corner, we spotted you sitting in a car with someone listening to music, presumably songs from your upcoming album Illadelph Halflife. Fast-forward one minute, after saying what’s up to you quickly before you went inside, I found myself standing in front of The Knitting Factory, smoking blunts with Black Thought (one of my friends invited him into our cipher) in the midst of some sort of surreal hip hop moment. It was totally normal for him to join us now that I think back about it, but at the time it seemed pretty crazy. I mean, he was one of my favorite rappers! Still is.
The show itself was awesome. I was in the back, steadily smoking blunts like a healthy 18 year old white jewish kid from Westchester does when attending a rap concert, enjoying the set and the guest performances from Rahzel (who blew me away by beatboxing “Flava in your Ear”) and a then unknown Erykah Badu (who sang “Apple Tree” and maybe something else). Towards the end of the show, Black Thought began pulling people on stage to rap. My friend, the most outgoing of my crew who had initiated our pre-show blunt cipher with Black Thought, grabbed me up and we made our way to the front of the stage. My friend started yelling to Black Thought to let me come up and rap. Well he must have remembered us from outside, because he started chuckling and pulled me on stage and gave me the microphone.
Yo, word up, I still remember the rhyme I spit that night. It was the first thing that popped into my head, about battling some kid at a pool hall. And I’m pretty sure I ripped it too, because when I hopped off stage, everyone was giving me pounds and high fives like I just hit a home run at Yankee Stadium. And Black Thought gave me my props too. It was the highlight of my life at that point. Rapping on stage with my favorite band. It was my first real hip hop performance. Here’s the rap:
”Yo I was coolin’ shootin’ pool with my man K-Wet,
when this fella walked up in the spot trying to set,
me off, saying i was soft with no skills,
had to let this sucker know that Ipcus gets ill,
with the best, east to west you try to test
the kid with the S on his chest there’s no contest,
he set it off with a freestyle rhyme,
give me room son cuz you can’t hang with mine,
cuz i got bangin lines but this kid had ones too
the more rhymes we kicked the more the crowd grew,
so i flipped a little rap just to get the crowd going,
he flipped one back doo doo with his flowing,
got me open, kicked another rap now he’s sweatin,
yo stan ip’s tongue is like a loaded weapon,
spittin rhyme in all direction i had this kid dizzy,
it wasn’t hard to see that ipcus was gettin busy,
but he struck back but fuck that i’m in the zone,
retaliated off the dome and sent the bitch rapper home.”
Since then, I’ve seen The Roots many times live. I saw you on the Smokin’ Grooves tour less than a week after that Knitting Factory show, and someone actually recognized me on the lawn and came up to give me respect for my performance with you guys. That completely blew my mind. It was the first time I was recognized like that. And I’ve seen you in many other spots too, and even had the pleasure of handing one of my tapes off to you after a show at Villanova University when I was still a freshman in college. Plus, I’ve seen you at Wetlands, Roseland Ballroom, and some other places too. All were amazing shows.
And I’ve done my own shows too. I’ve had quite a little rap career for an unsigned artist. Yeah, I work full time directing youth after school programs and summer camps, and always have, but still managed to compile a stack of hip hop highlights. I’ve opened up shows for Mos Def, Slick Rick, and Smif n Wessun (ironically the Smif N Wessun show was at The Knitting Factory). I’ve performed all over NYC and across the country at huge venues with my buddy Matisyahu (I’m on his Grammy nominated Youth album song “WP”), including Madison Square Garden and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. And I’ve had my songs played and have appeared live on Hot 97, Shade 45, and The Halftime Show on WNYU. Plus, I get lots of exposure on Nahright.com, which is thrilling for me as an unsigned artist.
I would love the opportunity to re-live my first performance with The Roots and make a guest appearance with you at one of your next Jam Sessions. I’ve come a long way since that night in 1996. And I’ve got the two perfect songs to perform that I think you will dig. ”Wifey Material”, which our mutual friend Peter Rosenberg debuted on his Hot 97 Real Late show, and “My Ferris Buellers”, which is my most well known song (my video for it was the first thing Nahright ever posted of mine and it was the first song I ever had played on Hot 97 thanks to Cipha Sounds). And of course I would be open to just coming out and getting busy also. Whatever you feel fits best. Please consider me for your next lineup of guest performers. I’m ready when you are. Check out “Wifey Material” below, as well as my homemade video for “My Ferris Buellers”. Thanks for your time, and I hope to hear back from you soon.
peace,
ip
(914) 837 2743
www.westcheddar.com
www.stanip.com
www.myspace.com/stanipcus
www.twitter.com/stanipcus
www.facebook.com/stanipcus
Rainy Dayz
June 18, 2009
Felt like hearing this today, thought you might too. It’s really coming down out there. This is off Only Built for Cuban Linx, one of my TOP FIVE hip hop albums of all time. Raekwon featuring Ghostface Killah and Blue Raspberry “Rainy Dayz”. You already know…
Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt. 2 coming this August….
Peace god.
Pure Comedy
June 18, 2009
Jonah Hill is a funny dude. The more times I watch Superbad, the funnier it gets. And he steals every scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But that was just the beginning for him. Next up, he’s got a big role alongside Adam Sandler and his buddy Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s Funny People, and is also one of the writers behind Sacha Baron Cohen’s new effort Bruno. But he’s not in it for the fame. He’s just a regular guy who wants to write and star in his own movies. His friends are doing it, so why can’t he? Check out this recent interview with Jonah Hill in the newest issue of Complex Magazine (it’s the cover story!)…
COMPLEX INTERVIEW WITH JONAH HILL
Also, check out this backstage Connect Four battle between him and Kanye West. ”It’s like chess for dumb people”. Ha!
Hollerrrrrr.
River Ciphers
June 18, 2009
For background info on the event CLICK HERE. Hope to see you at the first cipher. Come through and represent!!!!
*UPDATE*
THIS EVENT WAS POSTPONED DUE TO A SCHEDULING CONFLICT.
STAY TUNED FOR NEW DATE AND MORE INFO!!!!!
Two Quarters
June 17, 2009
50 Cent has always been known for his mixtapes. Many hip hop fans will say that they like them more than his actual albums. Well now 50 Cent is throwing everybody a curveball by releasing an actual LP for free. Sure, all of his recent mixtapes were also available for no charge, but this contains all original production (including Dr. Dre on the boards) rather than him rapping over other artist’s beats, which is what his earlier tapes are famous for. Actually, the G-Unit mixtapes from last year that led up to the group’s album release similarly contained lots of original production, and he was critiqued for giving away too much music. But I don’t think anyone should be complaining. I mean, what’s cooler than a free album from one of the biggest and best rap artists from New York? Plus 50 Cent is appearing in the new season of Entourage (see pic above). But trust me, War Angel is not Hollywood. This is a straight street banger. Cover and download link below.
There’s lots of great 50 Cent and G-Unit mixtapes out there. I’ve got a bunch in my collection. Not sure about this War Angel LP yet, I’ve only listened to it once, but I must say he always picks good beats, which is important. I’m a 50 fan. Sue me. Anyway, here’s the links to check out two of my favorite 50 Cent mixtapes. The first one is from last year, and the second one is from a few years back, before his second album came out. Both feature G-Unit and DJ Whoo Kid…
Ballot Hot Box
June 17, 2009
The recent election in Iran, and all the controversy surrounding it (which has led to violence and multiple deaths), is on the minds of many Americans. Here is Westchester County USA, there is a small population of Iranians that are showing concern for the situation back in their home country. The political correspondent for Westcheddar, warmly known as Bon Don, took time out of his day to catch me up to speed as to what is going with the election, and how the internet, more specifically Youtube and social networking sites/blogs, are guiding the revolution in Iran. It is important to note that he, like many Iranians living in the U.S., came here with his family for a better way of life and to live free as an American citizen. But he has never forgotten his roots, and is passionate about what is at stake with this election.
IP: For those people out there living under a rock, tell us what’s the situation over in Iran with the latest election.
BD: I’ll start with the latest events and work backwards in time. Currently the people are in the sixth day or so of demonstrations because there is an electorate that is simply fed up with the current living and working standards in Iran.
After claimed and firmly believable evidence of voter fraud, the current government apparatus claimed (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ) as the President only two hours after the election booths were closed. You can not count millions of paper votes in two hours.
People began to march in the streets and peacefully protest. As in all of the radically run countries, the government tried to bully and stop the voice of the people. The Iranian people are highly educated and informed citizens who don’t want to live in an Islamic state which forces them into idleness.
Subsequently, the media began to cover this closely and so did social media networks. Videos and reports began to leak out. Demonstrators continued, the government began to send non-uniformed police agents, basij soldiers (military police / former Iran Iraq war hardened war veterans) and riot police into the streets to quell this resounding disapproval of the current system. They began to beat people to scare them. But protestors instead continued to march and began reporting the events via YouTube, Twitter, and various blogs.
The people continued to protest. The international media was then ordered by the government to stop reporting and forced to stay in the confines of their hotels, etc.
IP: What is life like for young people in Iran? Do they get a good education? Do they party?
BD: It is miserable. You wake up at 3-4 in the afternoon and go to the coffee shop to hang out. You then go to dinner and then go and party all night because there is nothing productive you can do. The government has total control and has flooded the country with drugs and alcohol to numb the people into submission, yet they vociferously claim they are good Muslims.
The people who become educated as doctors have to drive taxis because they don’t make any money being a doctor due to high inflation and corruption.
IP: How do they feel about their role in government?
BD: They have no role. The government is a very tight Islamic Council led by Ayatollah Ali Khameni who has been challenged due to his iron grip and lack of legitimacy. The Supreme Council then decides, supports, and allows a President to be elected as their puppet.
IP: You started a Twitter page to update what’s going on with the election. It seems like technology is playing a big role in getting the word out about what’s going on. Beyond television, how are things like Youtube and Twitter HELPING this youth movement against the government?
BD: This, as people have noted, is the first internet led revolution. It is empowering people to be heard internationally. Any human being in their right mind after witnessing a women get beaten will not turn a blind eye. This is historic. The Iranian people, due to their ingenuity and creativeness, have worked around an iron clad information prevention apparatus. They have setup vpn (virtual private networks), and hackers from outside Iran have jammed government systems, and then there are servers that are used as proxies to get the content and information out into the information highway.
IP: What role is the U.S. playing in what’s going on over there? As a U.S. citizen from Iran, how do you feel they can be helpful?
BD: The U.S. is mum. Nothing. They want to hedge their bets and don’t want to repeat the mistakes made under President Carter, who inadvertently meddled and caused the 1979 revolution. The U.S. government knows that would give political ammunition to the Iranian government. Also, the U.S. government’s main aim is the prevention of nuclear proliferation. I think in back channels if the opposition party agrees to not pursue nuclear weapons, the administration will change course and support the opposition publicly. Currently they are carefully monitoring the situation.
IP: Do you have a network of Iranian family and friends here in the U.S.? What has been there reaction to all of this?
BD: Not as much as I would like , but I do have some and we have begun to organize to take a stand.
IP: Do they like hip hop in Iran? What’s the popular music?
BD: Yes, If you see many of the videos over there, they are politically rapping the issues. It is unprecedented. They actually set the trend of the Kayne West, tight clothes wearing phenomena. The Iranian people are a very soulful society hostage under a group of religious elite who do opium and live luxuriously off of oil.
IP: What about sports?
BD: Soccer.
IP: How do you foresee this whole situation shaping up? What is a realistic solution to all of this? Will it take violence more violence to solve the problems in Iran?
BD: It is hard to tell. It can erupt or continue. One thing is for sure the government is scared to the bone. They are now answerable to the people. I think it will continue and it will result into a new Supreme Leader, less control, a new President, and more freedom. You know, in historical terms, we go through similar periods. During the Bush administration, it was very autocratic and very militaristic in nature. Now with Obama and globalization and the internet, we will see more moderate open governments.
IP: Any last thoughts?
BD: I WANT A FREE IRAN . I want to see Iranian people compete with China and India as a nation. We have vast resources and we need to have a say in the international community.
The Queen
June 17, 2009
Mary J. Blige is probably the most talented and succesful woman to ever come out of Westchester County (she grew up in Yonkers). This is a collection DJ Roz and I put together back in 2003 when we had our little mixtape store out in Maryland. We made this for the ladies, but fellas you’ll enjoy it too, because it features an appearance from one of your favorite rappers on every song. Just look at the tracklist above on the cover. People used to flip out about how good Mary looks in this picture. These are all remixes and rarities that are sure to take listeners on a trip down memory lane. Perfect for the summertime. And for any young bucks out there reading, this mix will teach you why everyone calls Mary J. Blige “The Queen of Hip Hop Soul”. Download it exclusively here at Westcheddar…
Strictly Classics presents The Best of Mary J. Blige
DJ Roz is working on a new Matisyahu mixtape called “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”, check for that, it’s coming out soon, featuring Stan Ipcus on a couple things. And if you missed my post on our Strictly Classics presents The Best of Peedi Crack mixtape, CLICK HERE…peace.
With or Without You
June 16, 2009
After school programs across the country provide a safe environment for kids to hang out, do their homework, and participate in stimulating cultural and athletic activities. Ever wonder what it would be like without them? Well with the recession, many of these programs are suffering and on the verge of having to close their doors. My boys up in Y-Town Northern Westchester, who I work with once a week, made a comedic video (above) to explore what life would be like without their beloved after school program. Hahaha!!! And below is a behind the scenes “day in the life” style look at one of their crazy kickball games…
Isn’t kickball the best? Support your local after school programs…
Serve This Royalty
June 16, 2009
I was a fan of Cody Chesnutt before the time of his first collaboration with The Roots. I remember seeing something about him on MTV and then copping his double album The Headphone Masterpiece on a trip to California. My favorite song by far of his is “Serve This Royalty”, so when I read in a recent interview with Black Thought that The Roots would be re-making the song with Chesnutt for their upcoming album How I Got Over (due out later this year) I was OPEN. In the interview, Black Thought reveals that The Roots originally wanted to re-make “Serve This Royalty” the first time around, but Chesnutt wasn’t with it, so instead they created “The Seed 2.o” together, which is undoubtedly an amazing song. Cody Chesnutt’s original version, “The Seed”, is nice, but The Roots took it to another level. I can’t wait to see what they do with “Serve This Royalty”, because it’s already such a soul banger I’m not sure how they can make it any better. But I have faith in The Roots, and I’m happy to hear that Cody Chesnutt is no longer M.I.A….Check out the original version of “Serve This Royalty”…
Looking forward to hearing the new version of that. And here’s Cody Chesnutt playing an acoustic version of “The Seed” on BBC radio, followed by a live television performance of “The Seed 2.0″ with The Roots…
*Bonus* I love this video below for The Roots “Get Busy” . This is off their last album, Rising Down, and the song features Philly rappers Dice Raw and Peedi Crack…
I wonder if Cody Chesnutt is ever going to come out with another album? On his myspace it says he is, and he’s streaming an unreleased song “What Kind of Cool Will We Think of Next?”. We’ll have to wait and see….
Two Wild and Crazy Guys
June 16, 2009
The Fat Jew (pictured above), of the NYC based rap group Team Facelift that recently signed to Duck Down Records, is the funniest person to follow on Twitter. Easily. No one is even close. His tweets are so absurd that sometimes I question if they’re real, but honestly I think most of them are completely factual. He tweets while partying (or as he likes to say, “raging”), posts disgustingly weird links to pictures that will get you fired from your job if you open them at work, make you vomit all over yourself, or cause you to piss in your pants from laughing (I’ve yet to do any of the three but I see the potential for those things to happen), and shares hilarious thoughts and activities that dazzle your imagination. He recently tweeted during an acid trip! In real life, he rocks a huge afro and is known for performing shirtless in a thong, exposing his jewish fatness. And he calls himself “The King of Brunch”. Ha! But the crazy thing is that he’s actually a pretty good rapper. I remember when Team Facelift was featured a couple years ago on MTV, they posted a freestyle of his online that was INCREDIBLE. It’s not up there anymore unfortunately, but the way he pronounced the line “I’m holding down the long thin mic like Bob Barker” used to crack me up. I really want to meet this guy, hang with him and his boys one night, and kick raps on the streets of New York with them until my sides split. Until then, I’ll just keep following him on twitter, and continue to LOL. Check the link. I’d quote some good ones for you, but there are just too many…
Also, check out the link to his myspace page, and a bizarre video of him working on a song in a home studio. “Practice, practice, practice”. By the way, he mentions many of his jewish aliases in the video, and they are all so funny. His myspace account is Jewther Vandross, and the title of the youtube video below is Jew Diamond Phillips!! Ha!!! Check out his bio and what he’s into, then watch the video, which also includes him talking to his mom on the phone and getting tortured in the bathroom…
About me:
THINGS I’M INTO: manicures. eating brunch in the bathtub. drug buffets. honey mustard. riding horses naked. salmon-colored turtlenecks. being bodacious. pedicures. Asian men with small hands and long flowing hair. Quiche. Tony Danza’s calves. being charming. Doing it big like Ricki Lake’s thighs in ’94. frenzied behavior. loincloths. Jewish girls from Long Island. shrimp in baskets. depression. cheap champagne. penny loafers. Tom Selleck’s moustache. mango scones. buying homeless men things on ebay. watching drunk white girls at bars sing “Juicy” by Biggie. Peeing in pools. fancy in the pantry. doing the damn thing. space camp. drug buffets. teenage vampires. slicing cold cuts shirtless. spider man pajamas with feet. goon squad hooligans. Loofahs. not giving a fuck. getting my hair did. being filthy and gorgeous. transvestites. eye contact. onion bagels. being rowdy rowdy/ bout it bout it. getting dusted. movies on VHS. public access television. the gutter. flat-tops. loofahs. eye contact. Crown heights. double-dutch jump roping. Filipinos. tangerine bathrobes. reading the Post. shitty rap music. wearing colonial powdered wigs. meeting up with people to talk. pinky rings.bodacious babes. starched collars. shitty rap music. men who weep. exciting activities. tasteful floral arrangements. doing it and doing it and doing it well. The episode of 90210 featuring Color me Badd. Paintings of me naked and covered in doves, fighting a cougar with my penis shaped like a lightning bolt. white denim. black denim. inappropriately mixing denims. warm scotch. Dolly Parton. argyle everything. being more famous in Japan than Hello Kitty. girls with big sunglasses. Nine West gator pumps in banana yellow. light treason. escaping to Mexico. ice cream sandwiches. kissing cousins. a beauty queen with an M16. vomiting out of taxi windows. Jason Priestley in denim button-down shirts. being too weird to live and too rare to die.
The Arab Parrot (below with Kanye West) is someone I just recently became familiar with. He has a great blog with EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHS cataloging his real life NYC experiences (and L.A. too). I’m still learning about him, but I must note that he’s responsible for the picture of The Fat Jew riding a motorcycle at the top of the post. I’m pretty sure he runs in similar circles with Team Facelift, because he’s got a bunch of pics with them on THEARABPARROT.COM. His blog focuses on people he hangs with and meets at parties and on the streets (nice rhyme). He seems to live a very fun and exciting life. Scroll through his blog asap! Here’s a preview of a recent post about a trip to jail…
THE WAR REPORT. WILDED IN THE STREETS TOO HARD WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ME & GARC GOT LOCKED UP ON SOME BS. DT’S. FUCK THE POLICE. THE P WAS CAGED FOR 22 HOURS. 4 AM…5TH PRECINCT. PRINTED. WOKE UP HUNGOVER ON THE CELL FLOOR. DIDN’T REMEMBER WHY I GOT BAGD. 8AM THEY BROUGHT IN SPECIAL INVESTIGATORS FROM THE TERRORIST UNIT TO INTERROGATE ME CUZ OF MY MIDDLE EASTERN BACKGROUND. WAS IN THE ROOM WITH THE TWO WAY MIRRORS HANDCUFFED TO A CHAIR MAKING EM CRACK UP. WHEN THEY REALIZED I WAS NO TERRORIST THEY SENT ME OVER TO CENTRAL BOOKINGS. SPENT 12 HOURS IN THE TOMBS, SHIT HAD ME STIR CRAZED. THE WORRRST. MAD TIGHT IN THERE. ONE DUDE KILLED SOMEONE & WAS ON THE FONE TALKIN ABOUT IT, ON HIS WAY TO RIKERS. DRUG DEALERS, USERS, HUSTLERS, JUNKIES, CRACK HEADS, DOPESICK, DRUNK DRIVERS, DRUG & GUN POSSESSION, WARRANTS, PISSIN IN PUBLIC, ONE DUDE HAD ED HARDY SHOES ON. EVERYONE WAS COOL. LOTS OF COMRADERY IN THERE. MADE A FEW HOMEYS. THEY WERE CALLIN ME SERPICO/JESUS UP IN THERE. CHEESE SANDWICHES & NASTY MILK WAS THE MENU. I HATE MILK BUT IT WAS THE BEST CHEESE SANDWICH EVER. SLEPT ON THE DIRTY ASS FLOOR, 30 IN A CELL, SHOES UNDER MY HEAD AS A PILLOW. BULL PEN THERAPY. FLOURESCENT LIGHTS. SIGNS POSTED ON HOW TO DEAL WITH FEELINGS OF SUICIDE. SHIT IS INHUMANE. EVERYONE SHARING ONE NASTY ASS TOILET. I DIDN’T SHIT THE WHOLE TIME. DIDN’T USE THE PHONE EITHER CUZ I DON’T REMEMBER ANYONES NUMBER BUT MY MOMS. SHIT SUCKED, HIGH ANXIETY, NO AIR FLOW, MAD DEHYDRATED & CLAUSTROPHOBIC. TIME DIDN’T FLY AT ALL. SITTIN THERE INDIAN STYLE KNEES BENT HANDS TOGETHER HOPING I GET OUT BEFORE THE COURT CLOSES. CO’S FINALLY CALLED OUR NAME AT 11PM. LAST GROUP TO SEE THE JUDGE OR WE WOULD’VE HAD TO WAIT IN THERE TILL THE MORNING. DIDN’T SMOKE A CIGARETTE FOR 22 HOURS. I HAD THE SHAKES. COST 5 DOLLARS FOR A SMOKE & THEN YOU HAD TO BUY A MATCH TOO. FINALLY WENT UPSTAIRS, SAW THE DA, GOT OUT OF THE FINE, JUDGE GAVE ME 3 DAYS COMMUNITY SERVE. NO FLICKS OBVIOUSLY. GOT RELEASED AT 1:30 AM INTO THE POURING RAIN. FREE BIRD. BACK TO THE CAGE, BIRD BATH & BOOZE. KINDA GLAD IT HAPPENED. KEPT RAPPIN THIS TO MYSELF THE WHOLE TIME.
For the record, he posted a youtube video below this of Mobb Deep’s “Give Up The Goods”, you know the one that starts with that Big Noyd acapella, “Sometimes I wish I had three different cases, I’m going to court for three cases in three places, one in Queens, Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, the way things is looking I’m a see Central Booking…” He finishes his posts often with classic rap tunes. I’m still exploring his blog myself, but I must say that you shouldn’t let this preview post sidetrack you. He’s an excellent photographer and observer, who lives a very cultured life, constantly running into interesting people and even celebrities. The pictures are really what makes the blog. Here’s one of him with his camera (and major zoom lens). And check his blog out, the link is below. Man, these two guys need a reality show…
