UnioNoMics 101

Unionomics has been too quiet lately, and we plan on ending this trend very soon. Actually, Da Vinci has been making a lot of music with other artists in New Jersey, but like a biotch he hasn’t been posting any of it. Severely wringing his neck is the appropriate method of punishment for such gross oversights.

I on the other hand, have been battling regular life for a while, and the fight sapped my creative mojo. Stress decided that it couldn’t stand my happiness and attacked almost every portion of my life. That shit’s mostly over now, but expect some darker-than-usual music at some point where I reflect on these times. Someday I’ll air out this shit out in detail on some Are You In That Mood Yet? shit, a la Joe Budden, but I haven’t found the right beat yet (if you got one, send it!)

Anyway, we’re working on a few new songs, some solo and some together. Expect at least one new song from me by next week, I got a bunch cooking on the stove right now. In the meantime, when’s the last time you’ve been to http://unionomics.bandcamp.com? There’s a lot to download there, and it’s all free! And check out the share button at the bottom of this post! It’s new! Click it now! I’ll wait…good job! We encourage you to share each post, share every piece of music you download, share your thoughts on us, share everything! Thanks folks

~Knowledge

I graduated from Morgan State two whole years ago (clap for me bitch! © Buck Nasty), got my diploma and everything. So two weeks ago I ordered my transcript, for reasons that for now shall remain untold. Now cut to yesterday, I receive a letter stating that they can’t give me my transcript because the Office of Residence Life has a hold on my account! For what?! I can’t owe anyone any money, otherwise they’d never have given me my diploma! Just cause they’re a bunchof fuckin’ haters!

But please believe they already deposited my check paying for the transcripts. The bastards are pretty much holding my money hostage! They took that money first chance they got, meanwhile I still have to wrestle with ORL before I get my transcript. This is some straight-up bullshit

~Knowledge

In the midst of all this oil spill hub-bub, and people being mad that Obama isn’t doing enough or is doing too little. I think we’ve all forgotten one very important fact:

George Dubya Bush is not in office anymore. As bad as you may think Obama is doing, he’s leaps and bounds better than that fool. AND he came into office right after Bush, meaning he has to clean-up Bush’s various messes. So as a reminder that we oughta count our blessings, here are some awesome Bush quotes:

*queue Michael Jackson – Remember The Time*

I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family

Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning

There’s an old saying in Tennessee—I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can’t get fooled again.

One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.

I’ll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office.

For more quotes

So let's imagine that you and your man are extremely happy. Cook for each other, go out often, drink root beer floats out the same glass with two straws aaaaaall of that mushy ish. One day you decide that you're going to please him and go down on him like never before. At first you get the usual grunts and moans that you are accustomed to hearin when you know you're doin it right, but then you start hearin other things:
"Oh shit! Damn girl your mouth juicy as hell! Why ya mouth so phuckin juicy?! You ole great lakes in the mouth ass niggah, fire hydrant fillin up a kiddie pool seven seas in the mouth ass niggah, a niggah could go skinny dippin in yo mouth in the mouth ass niggah! Old pacific ocean curse of the black pearl in the mouth ass niggah!
Would you be able to keep your composure and polish your boo off until he climaxes or would you give in and start laughin/chokin on his ish?

I'm sooowwy I thought it would lighten the mood!

So...
I met this female a while back (way before I had a girlfriend). When I first met her she was nothing short of amazing. Into hip-hop, dared to be different, her sense of humor matched mine and all. We hit it off great and I was slowly starting to fall. I mean this chick was feeling da kid to no end. She liked my songs and loved my beats. she was super supportive and did her thing as a writer when she was inspired.

I could not have asked for a seemingly more perfect match right? Yeah, well I sure thought so. Anyway, as I'm sure all of you know, I'm mad focused on my career as a musician so with me being the honest and blunt guy that I can be at times, I told her about my (at the time) hectic schedule and the long laundry list of goals that I was trying to accomplish with my music. I then went on to tell her that I don't think me getting into a relationship would be the best idea because I would not be able to dedicate the amount of time that's needed to give her the attention that our potential relationship, better yet she deserves. She went on to say that she understood and fully supports me and wants to be my friend who was there when I needed her to be and more.

After having that convo I started celebrating mentally! YEEEAH niggah! Victory for The Verbal Arteest ma phucka! I finally found someone who's willing to take it slow with me and reap the benefits of me being the best boyfriend that I can be once my life becomes a little more stable.

Two or so visits to my condo later she asked me out in so many words...
I was taken aback by the question because I thought we were on the same page. If she had a problem with our "status" then why would didn't she speak up two weeks ago? I reverted back to explaining my situation over again and reitteratin the fact that I really like but I'm going to need patience. She claimed she understood but started to fall back HEAVY! Ignoring texts and giving cold shoulders. All I could remember thinking was "damn I should've bought that thermal set I saw at walmart the other day."

Eventually we talked it over and realized that ignoring each other is foolish. We then started talking again. All was good. But that peaceful period was short lived because out of no where she started giving me the cold shoulder yet again. This time it was for months! All the while I read her weekly, sometimes DAILY, complaints and ramblings about how horrible her dating life is. Aggravation set in and I found myself at my slow ass computer cussing out whatever male name that came across my screen she was crying over at the time. I got fed up and we had another argument.

Kinda Side note-
You know its so funny how social networking and the internet has changed the way we go about maintaining friendships and romance. Just a click and a niggah is stuck in blue-balls hell. On the flip: just it takes just one button and your knight in shining armor can turn into a complete and utter dirty ass hole.

I was deleted from her twitter, facebook and myspace. LOW BLOW trick! That same day we reconciled our differences and she explained to me that she was tired of guys she really liked permanently placing her in the "friend lane" and refused to take it anymore.

What could I tell her at this point? What was I to put her at ease with? The same speech (for lack of better words) that I gave her months earlier about how she was soooo close but just needed to let me handle my work so that I can give her all of me? Nah she JUST said that she wasn trying to hear any ish like that.

"With one leg left now I'm hopping around crippled/ So I took out my pocket knife and sliced off her right nipple" -Eminem I don't why but I just felt like quoting those two bars lol...I guess it can relate because even tho I wanted her to stay and ride it out with me (that's what she said), she refused. That's my leg getting ripped off. So I in turn decided to recoil and in a sense sliced off her right nipple by refusing to budge on my terms. Bull headed I know but I guess when you have a mate that's unwilling to compromise for the greater good your hand is forced.

We fell off like we always do until I hit her up just to check up on her and see what was going on. She wasted no time letting me know that she was pissed at me for taking so long to contact her YES I was wrong and apologized like 3 or 4 times throughout the course of our convo for it. I even explained to her that my blackberry was out of commission at the time leaving me with no reminder to call her but she was beyond pissed and didn't wanna hear that because, after all she did call me on mine.

The convo ended with both of us wishing each other the best in our careers and leaving it at that. I'll still admire her from afar and have nothing but respect for her. However any thought of "us" have to go because, after all she chose for things to be that way in the end.

Even though she had refused to, a special someone did wait it out and reap the benefits that I had to offer her. I am so happy that I went out with her and I love her to death because she's more than just a typical chick to me.

I guess I'm writing all of this to say those who are going through relationship drama to HOLD ON! Do NOT settle. Your mate will come when the times right

That's it for now with y'all stankin asses
-Da Vinci the Verbal Arteest
And download my Free mixtape "The Coming"

It should be of no surprise to those familiar with my music that I’m a huge Nas fan. I grew up on Wu-Tang and A Tribe Called Quest, but Nas is the person that made me want to be an emcee. My introduction to Nas was It Was Written, Affirmative Action was the song memory serves me. For me, It Was Written was Nas’ best album. Maybe not the most consistent, but its peaks surpass Illmatic in my opinion. The only real misstep was Nas Is Coming, hurt by a mediocre Dr Dre beat. Everything else is at the very least solid, at its best magnificent.  And here’s how he starts the album off after an intro where he’s the slave that starts a rebellion:

Nas – The Message

Fake thug, no love, you get the slug, CB4 Gusto
Your luck low, I didn’t know til I was drunk though
You freak niggaz played out, get fucked and ate out
Prostitute turned bitch, I got the gauge out

Are you peeping these internal, multiple, and multisyllabic rhymes? “thug, love, slug”, “gusto, luck low, drunk though”, “played out, ate out, gauge out”. Plus he referenced the best movie about fake thug rappers, CB4 and its main character, MC Gusto. Nas clearly isn’t happy with somebody…

96 ways I made out, Montana way
The Good-F-E-L-L-A, verbal AK spray
Dipped attache, jumped out the Range, empty out the ashtray
A glass of ‘ze make a man Cassius Clay

Finishing the multisyllabic rhyming with “made out”. Nas calls himself a mobster by referencing to two of the best crime movies in history, Scarface (whose main character was Tony Montana) and Goodfellas. Don’t forget this album helped usher in Mafioso Rap. I’m not sure who he’s talking about in the last line. He was just now talking about himself, so he could be saying that liquor (specifically Alize) makes him ready for war. But since that’s a little self-depracating, and since no man should ever admit to drinking Alize, more likely he’s saying that corny people get a little liquor in them and think they’re untouchable  all of the sudden. (Cassius Clay being Muhammad Ali’s given name, and he being arguably the best boxer in history, people wish they were as good as him.)

Red dot plots, murder schemes, thirty-two shotguns
Regulate wit my Dunn’s, 17 rocks gleam from one ring
Yo let me let y’all niggaz know one thing
There’s one life, one love, so there can only be one King

Peep the internal rhyme from “schemes” to “gleams” in the first 2 lines, and how it ends up being the ending rhyme for the last 3 bars. Stuff like this is how we know that Olu Dara may have birthed Nas, but Rakim is surely his father. Anyway at the end the topic of this verse is revealed at last. There can only be one King. No one says that with the intention of naming someone else king. Therefore Nas is proclaiming himself as King. Of what, you ask? Of New York hip-hop! Who’s the pretender to the throne, none other than the Notorious BIG.

History lesson: Big and Nas had a little beef, seemingly because Big and Rakewon had beef. Read about it here

The highlights of livin, Vegas style roll dice in linen
Antera spinnin on Milleniums, twenty G bets I’m winnin them
Threats I’m sendin them, Lex with TV sets the minimum
Ill sex adrenaline
Party with villians, a case of Demi-Sec to chase the Henny
Wet any clique, with the semi-tech who want it
Diamonds I flaunt it, chickenheads flock I lace em
Fried broiled with basil, taste em, crack the legs
way out of formation, it’s horizontal how I have em
fuckin me in the Benz wagon
Can it be Vanity from Last Dragon

If you don’t know who Vanity from Last Dragon is, you need to go check that movie. Go do it now, don’t come back till you start telling your friends to call you Bruce Leroy. Hood classic!

Grab your gun it’s on though
Shit is grimy, real niggaz buck in broad daylight
with the broke Mac it won’t spray right
Don’t give a fuck who they hit, as long as the drama’s lit
Yo, overnight thugs, bug cause they ain’t promised shit
Hungry-ass hooligans stay on that piranha shit

After declaring himself king, Nas descends into describing his Mafioso life. Don’t miss the incredible rhyming in the first 4 bars after the king line. Content-wise, nothing too special here, just flossing and fast broads, but Nas ends with a reminder that there’s a price for this life. And that price is gunplay and its consequences, including innocent bystanders and a heightened chance of that violence being visited upon you, everyday. The second-from-the-last line is a shot at people who pretend to be thugs because they want that flashy life but forgot about this price, and is probably aimed at Biggie as well.

I’d planned on doing the rest of the song, but just this one verse led me to writing 500 words. And the second verse, while ill, doesn’t hold a candle to this one in my opinion. So I’ll end this here. Feel free to leave all praise, hate, constructive criticism, suggestions, and comments.

By the way, leave all feedback ON THIS BLOG. You don’t have to sign up to comment, and I’d like all the discussion to happen here.

~Knowledge The Rhyme-Professor

Is hip-hop real music? A few days ago I got in a facebook conversation about this very question. Of course the topic starter was playing devil’s advocate (do you think I’d associate with a hip-hop-hating music snob). He just wanted to spark an intelligent debate amongst his hip-hop loving friends. But his counterpoints were surprisingly strong. Read more »

1. Fuck John McCain. It's funny how one side gets pissed when the other does the same shit they been doing. Politicians, as a rule, can go fuck themselves. They all suck, and to varying degrees, they're all disgusting human beings who lie for a living.

In case you're too lazy to click the link, Harry Reid (a Dem), back in 2008, said that Obama could win because he's light-skinned and doesn't speak with "Negro dialect." Use of the word Negro aside (seriously who the fuck still says Negro), Reid didn't say anything that isn't true. If Chris Rock had said it nobody would give a fuck. Cuz we all know that a light-skinned (half-Black even) bruh who "speaks so well" is the best chance Black people could have to get in the White House.

So anyway Republicans are pissed cuz Obama pretty much doesn't seem to care that Reid said that, and it seems that Reid will keep his job and position as Senate Majority leader. Really I could care less. Obama knows that cats see him as Black before anything else, so this revelation really didn't open his eyes to anything. I'm sure Reid will be punished in some other, stealthier way. Issue deaded as far as everyone but Republicans and other stick-uptight-in-their-ass people are concerned

2. Black Rob needs to get outta jail and stay outta jail. Today I rediscovered his two albums, and my feeling is hip-hop needs Black Rob. Real good story, realistic thug-rap.

3. Fuck my job. That shit has ruined my creative mood since TPRH was finished. Gotta find something new, VERY fast. For various reasons my writer's block is crazy, and I'm sure the job is a part of that. Fuck real life in general, in college it was much easier to get inspired.

4. Go download Da Vinci's mixtape!! Don't just listen to it, download it. Post comments with your thoughts on it

it feels so weird to post on this blog. One of my resolutions was that I'll post on here more consistently and everybody knows how OD I get with my resolutions. anyways I need to think about what my next few posts will be about. until then, just download a copy of my new mixtape "The Coming" off of

thanks much!

by the way...you all should be reading this from