STL Spotlight: Let Miguel "Adorn" You

Miguel is an artist that has slowly been creeping his way on my radar. Wasn't a fan of his debut, but the dude showed that somehow, someway.........given the right direction...that he could really place his thumbprint on the current state of music and carve out his own niche. "Lotus Flower Bomb" gave hints of this, however, when in a haze of weekend afterglow, i stumbled upon his video for "Adorn".....i was more than a bit impressed to say the least. Its funny how Miguel almost becomes a whole different, more interesting artist when his music is catered more towards R&B than pop and "Adorn" brings out a cool sensualness and an organic vibe that has been wholly missing from Miguel's music. The track is laid back, effortless, and dare I say.....bold in how it tinkers with the electro soul toolbox. If this is the direction his music is to take.....then I will def be keeping an eye and ear out. Check out his three song upcoming EP, "Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1" when it drops on February 27th. Enjoy :)

STL Pause: Another one McBites the Dust

Enough of the trivial, pointless, silly topics folks.....its time to get serious people. I mean i was ready to start my own "Occupy McDonald's" movement for punishing the public by slathering the McRib all over town over and over again and then yanking it right when the heroin addiction kicks in. I was even ready to march up to their front doors demanding answers after watching tireless youtube videos on mechanically separated meats and poultry to confirm that its is the means by which their Chicken McNuggets and Big Macs were made. Needless to say.......i had retired my McDonald's jersey and vowed never to eat there again (well, only to maybe have a vanilla ice coffee from time to time). But then that had to go and do the unspeakable......create something yummy that brought me right back to their doors (tail between my legs and all and head held in shame).

Before you take this statment (and therefore stereotype) a bit too far......I LOVE CHICKEN!! but not in say, the conventional ways that most folks like chicken. Not a fan of buffalo wings....yeah I know......or drumsticks (although I do love me some chicken breast...lol)...and ive recently become a Chick-Fil-A addict....no...its not funny....I have bad withdrawals from that place (mmmmmmm.....spicy chicken sandwich). But if you take some leftover crumbs from the chicken......overly coat them in batter and seasoning salt.....then i come with tongue wagging. Until recently, KFC was the only place to get such a thing with their "Popcorn Chicken". The "Popcorn Chicken" is still more bomb than the McBites.....and it has the added benefits of being served with potatoe wedges...mmmm, but McDonald's has the advantage with more locations......so its more convenient to get to.

Sad to say....but I remember before the advertisements....driving past a McDonald's and noticing that they had new signage up and reading the words McBites and having my eyes light up like a 2 year old that just realized they had a playground ..lol. I mean......the advantage that they do have is that they have a million and one different sauces you can dip those bad boys in and i particularly like the chipotle bbq. The only downer really is you sound like a fucking idiot trying to order that shit through the drive thru. I remember the first time i ordered these shits.....halfway through uttering the words (in my mind) i thought I had reverted back to 4th grade and developed a speech impediment.

DAMN YOU MCDONALD's.....just when I was good and done....look what you had to do. AND I eat one of those shareable ones by my damn self. On a side note, im counting down the days until McDonald's corporate discovers the drive through singing video from world star (video above) and have him do a McBites promo spot.

i mean....you do remember this don't you

The STL Project: The Test

what im listening to right now: JoiStaRR "Im Trying"


HAAAAPPPYYYYY NEEEEEWWWWW YEAAAAAARRRR Folks!!!! (im cheesin). And man, does it feel good to write again lol. Sorry for the absence folks.....life over the past year has taken me to many hills and valleys...but in 2012 im soaring (Yuuuuuuuppp!!!). i wanted to open up the relaunch of the blog with something that touched my heart the other day and give my personal testimony of growth and evolution.

Ohh what a mad mad world we live in....and if i was defining myself by the condition and terms defined by the ills of this society, then I would be playing myself pretty hardcore right now. This is not to say that i have succeeded exceedingly in every area of life....but the reality is that the greatest lessons in success come from our failures. I call this "The Test" and what it inevitably is is God's cumulative exam for growth. Almost a litmus test, as you will, for our place and purpose in the world. Being Black History Month and all, I think Dr. Martin Luther King said it best with his famous quote " The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" This is to say that these test usually involve to specific areas of our being......our character and our attitude and man.....I know what its like to fail on both levels.

A while back I was involved in a situation that now I know was a big mistake (hey, you chalk it up to growing pains....lol), but I am thankful for whatever lessons I came out learning from it.....but it inevitable made me a much better, more grounded, more mature man and I am thankful to God that through his purpose.....i stand here at this time a completely more fulfilled and renewed individual. However, it taught me an important lesson in life....never settle for the okie doke and no matter what situation arises and how it temps to unleash the worst in you......never lose your cool . To be honest, I use to be a hardcore justice kinda guy....eye for an eye!!!!...fuck it.....if you do dirt, then you wholly deserve to have dirt smacked right back in your face....but the small pleasures derived from seeing "justice delievered" was little in comparison to how it all stilted my evolution. And I had to ask myself, what growth am i obtaining through a series of knee jerk reactions in which anger leads and all sense of rationality falls by the waist side...blinding red, a total blackout of thought and emotion.

The short answer, nada, nilch, nothing........and i was embarrassed by what it spoke of my character and attitude. I know its not popular for a man to be about anything or have integrity these days....but this assertion just make me want to stan for these principles even more because I feel like "somebody has to" I mean.....as men....we can't all just walk around like total idiots. Plus, in my situation, I feel a real historical responsibility to keep things moving in an upwardly mobile direction. My mom and dad worked tirelessly to see me reach success and they afforded me opportunities that were never available to them. To give some perspective....my dad was born in 1926 and endured a shitload of racism and prejudice.....doing the math...I would have to say that that would either make my grandfather or greatgrandfather a slave in this country. Having such a close connection to this history has generally been the motivation for my how I carry myself.....with class, candor, and a sense of responsibility of self. I know it may sound cheesy, but I trully feel most of the time that I am carrying a torch and one day I will be measured by how far I have carried that torch before passing it on to the next generation.

But im human...and I fall on my face and FAIL at times......sometimes the test is too damn hard or I don't feel like taking it or I think its unfair. Like why do I have to take this test when it doesn't look like anyone else is even in the damn exam room. I want justice damnit!! lol. Well, my journey is not your journey and your journey is not mine (for some reason I thought of Whitney's "my love" when writing that out...lol)......but what my journey was telling me was that I had to check my attitude and stop listening to all the discouraging voices in my head. Yeah, we like to give ourselves a hard time......but its all a mental trick and I learned to be humbled in times that threatened to lose my cool instead of combative or bull headed (granted, this has taken a long time). Sometimes all you truly need is a change of perspective.......sometimes you interpret things in the wrong way and need to check yourself...that is to say....that in most cases......its not always a "me against the world" kinda thing and you go through things....good or bad....for the betterment of self. If you can't absorb the lesson.....then you have to start all the way at the beginning of the game again......*press play* inevitably repeating the same level over and over again.

Seriously folks, anything and everything can and is more than likely a test of some part of you that needs to either be addressed or tuned up. Allow yourself to fail, yeah, but know that there will be a time where you're being will transcend the parameters of the test taking altogether. God will set you on a plane in first class, with a nice bottle of chianti, and a note. And on that note will be coordinates for your destination. In your heart, you will know what it took to get on board....the turbulence you faced in taking flight.......the cramped quarters you endured in taxiing along the ride......but it is the destination that gives you hope, faith, and light. It is the destination that defines you, not society, or other people, reality TV, or even the voices in your head that tell you otherwise. The true measure of a man, sitting handsomely and living free..........without threat of karma or retribution.........without threat to character and attitude.....humbling.....peaceful........and all through God's will. Lord knows i'm trying :)

J Davey New Album Coming Nov. 22 - Me Returning to Real Life - Imminent

You may be asking...what the hell do these two things have in common. Well, I would say we are both about to shut the game down lol. Stay put folks, because Sanspiracy is coming back in a big way with the STL Project and plenty of the stories and humor that will have your sides splitting (hopefully not literally). Still in a bit of a fog from wrapping up my major event of the year. But my fingertips have been itching to bring you all the latest and greatest in news, politics, and entertainment. Stay tuned folks...it will be more than worth the wait and thanks to all my loyal readers.

A Message of Hope for Humanity

The STL Project: The Story of STL

ahhh...so many projects....so little time. Well this is my season folks (its AFM time), but I had to send out a little teaser for a project that will be appearing on Sanspiracy in the coming weeks titled "The STL Project" - an in depth look at the history of STL (Soundtrack to Life) and my current project "STL 11: The Best of Me" (check check it OUUUUUTTTTTTT)

If you didn't know, or couldn't tell by the blog, im a Huuuugeee music lover and I was a bit tired of listening to album after album of mostly shitting songs and then 1 or 2 songs that sorta stood out as real bangers. So the idea of STL was really born out of creating an orphanage for these songs - my virtual mixtape that inevitably served two purposes....one, it made it convenient to listen to all the songs I thought were hot on one album and two, it really captured a history of what types of music I was listening to at the time and what i was into. Early inclination of STL ranged from alternative, to rock, to house, to dub step, to R&B and beyond. But as the years past, my STL's became more of statements and I thought a lot about creating vibes and moods and really picking songs that worked well together instead of just randomly assorting a bunch of songs on an album. "STL 11: The Best of Me" is the epitome of this effort and that is why I am so proud of it. Its is essentially, the culmination of years of evolution in my musical taste as well as a bold statement for the direction that future STL's will take and most of all a celebration of the amazing new plateau that life has taken me to. I really hope you enjoy it and I can't wait to delve deeper into "STL 11: The Best of Me" and give you not only a closer look at the music, but a closer look at yours truly.

20 Years Later Boyz II Men Prove they still have that "IT" Factor

Its hard to believe that Boyz II Men have been in the game for 20 Years but its even harder to fathom for about half of that....Boyz II men have been somewhat dormant on the musical landscape. The "Motown Philly" crooners had a well documented line up shake up when original member Michael McCary left the group in 2003 for health issues. But even so, its seemed like the group could never ever reached the heights that their musical career took them in the 90's as the premiere R&B quartet.

for most of the 00's it seemed that Boyz II men had been reduced to a cover band. Creating album after album of songs about seasons and trite, uninspired remakes of classics with the bands typical croonings and spot on harmonies. Their talent was simply not enough to elevate their material. So when I came across "20" - the bands double CD homage to their 20 year in the game, the acknowledgment came with a side eye and a passing iota of interest. When I discovered that the Album contained 12 tracks of brand new music, my soul perked up in the hopes of receiving something in the vein of say "II" - arguable the bands most commercially embraced album and most classic.

Listening to "20" i had a sort of revelation about the group. Exactly why are they not as popular now as when the were in the 90's. "20" seems to pick up exactly where "II" left off and its amazing that, vocally, the group sounds as fresh and polished as they did back then. Its also a testament to the integrity of the group that 20 years later, none have appeared on "Celebrity Rebab" have had extensive run ins with the law, had their financial dealings aired out in the media, developed coke habits, or had public baby mama drama. So I guess that answers my question...lol. Even still "20" is a solid collection of tracks and to boot, the CD contains a second disc of classics that I could have done without, but that many Boyz II Men fans will appreciate.

Stands outs on the album include "Put Some Music On" an airy, moody, sexy midtempo romantic jawn, "Slowly" a slightly kinkier version of "I'll make love to you" and "Will You be There" a vocally bombastic, midtempo stunner. All in all, its good though to see that Boyz II Men have a lot of music still left in them - this is pure R&B. No gimmicks, no autotune, in fact, listening to "20" is a painful reminder of how far music has fallen off. Gone are the days when artist were required to have talent, gone are the days when a specific sound was created for artist, gone are the days when artist actually brought something to the table. Which inevitably answers my original question. Boyz II Men will probably never be as big as they once were because the machine is no longer in place to elevate them to those heights. The industry, at best, has a passing interest in populating the landscape with R&B groups and of the new ones, none could still light a candle to the talent and success of Boyz II Men. In essence, these cats just haven't had their just due as musical legends who have pioneered a long track in music and influenced generations of new and up and coming artist.

But the music just hasn't died and if anything "20" makes a bold statement about the group and their potential for future greatness. If at any time, music returns to the integrity and inspiration it held dear in the 90's, then Boyz II Men is surely waiting in the wings to dust off their crowns and claim their former glory. Past, present and future.