As posted by Billy Jam for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the C.K.O.T.B. (Emcee T), is ranked TOP 4 in the Bay Area for 2007 (both on newstands & on the web). Props and Bay Luv for that Billy Jam... FYI: Billy Jam has been puttin' it down for Bay Area Rap/Hip-Hop as early as 1991; having ties with Mac Dre and other Bay Area legends.
Year in Music: iFunk?
"Obsessions aren't always bad"
BY BILLY JAM
This year we were consumed by our obsession with the latest piece of technology and the immediate gratification that comes with it. My personal part in this collective cultural obsession hit me one day as I sat on the bus, my multitasking mind elsewhere, my phone in one hand receiving text messages, my MP3 player in the other on random shuffle, playing a song by Project Pat boasting about having "the number one ringtone." And on my lap sat not a laptop, but a relic from another time: a book, an ordinary page-bound, nonfiction book. But as I read, instead of flipping to get a referenced page, I found myself absent-mindedly, or rather, tech-mindedly, tapping my finger on the bold-faced word, unconsciously thinking that I was clicking on a computer screen — confirming my obsession with and dependence on digital technology.
Our obsession drives us to grab the fastest and the newest and consumes us with possessing the latest iProducts, the most recent Guitar Hero, the most up-to-date ringtones, and the hottest celebrity gossip, which we seemingly can never get enough of.
Hence in 2007, YouTube videoblogger star Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney alone" rant, which attracted more than five million hits, was essentially far more popular than its subject's new album, Blackout (Jive).
But our obsessions aren't necessarily a bad thing, since they are driven by passion as much as by anything else, and consequently we are experiencing a renaissance of enthusiastic people producing amazingly intricate and imaginative music, blogs, visual art, literature, photography, video — all made and distributed DIY-style. In fact, there is so much being created right now that we can't even follow, let alone fathom, it all. After all, how can we when it's possible to create hit blogs, video diaries, and hip-hoperas while multitasking on the bus?
TOP 10
1. The Bay Area's noncommercial radio stations
2. DJ Yoda, The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda (Antidote)
3. Various artists, Soul Jazz Records Singles, 2006–2007 (Soul Jazz)
4. Emcee T's Yay Area version of The Sopranos intro, on YouTube
5. Zeph and Azeem, Rise Up (OM)
6. Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip-Hop (Rizzoli), by Johan Kugelberg, Afrika Bambaataa, Buddy Esquire, Jeff Chang, and Joe Conzo
7. Copperpot, WYLA? (EV Productions)
8. Ultimate Force, I'm Not Playin' (Traffic)
9. MF Grimm, The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man (Class A)
10. edIT, Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=5213&catid=107&volume_id=317&issue_id=329&volume_num=42&issue_num=11
----------------------------------------------------
EMCEE T featured on AMOEBA.com (Amoeba Records Website)!!!
http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2007/11/jamoeblog/what-if-tony-soprano-lived-in-da-bay-and-not-nj-.html
Woke up this morning......and crossed the Bay Bridge span
Imagine for a moment if Tony Soprano lived not in NJ but in da Bay. This is exactly what Bay Area resident , YouTube member, and local hip-hop artist EmceeT visualized before he went out and shot and edited (directed by ZTV Media:) the inspired above video clip, spoofing the intro to the popular, and sadly defunct, HBO series The Sopranos. In the "Yay" version Emcee T (aka The Chinese King of the Bay) winds his way through various parts of the Bay Area in his whip with cigar (or blunt?) in mouth, and capturing along the way shots of such familar sights as the Bay Bridge and its toll-booth, the Caldecott tunnel, that big ole bow-and-arrow sculpture & the palm trees along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the Martinez Oil refineries, the Showgirls Strip Club, Casino San Pablo, Oakland Port, the infamous Mac Dre mural (off Harrison Street in SF), SFPD patrol cars, Lake Merritt mural, and at the end (in true Tony Soprano style) Emcee T's own house. Click here for more of Emcee T's videos, here for his MySpace, and for general info on "the real emcee" Emcee T visit his website.
And in case you want to compare it with the original shot in New Jersey- it's below for your viewing pleasure. By the way the song used in the Sopranos intro is by the group A3 and is titled (not too surprisingly) "Woke Up This Morning" and the full version, which is available on the Sopranos soundtrack (look for it at Amoeba Music) is a really great song with a nice slow build-up and towards the end goes into a rap - clocking in at about five plus minutes compared to the television show intro version which is a bit under two minutes.
Credit & Much Bay Luv 2: Billyjam
======================================
The SOPRANOS Intro - BAY AREA / NOR CAL Re-make... directed by ZTY MEDIA starring yours truly, Emcee T. Peep & share it ya'll!
Filmed in the 415, 510 & 925. YAY AREA STAND UP!
======================
Remember Emcee T's diss to Rosie??? Reminder: Emcee T's latest response to the "SUCK MY DONG" Rosie Diss Video (taken from www.yayarea.biz):
Emcee T - Interview Pt. 2 - "SUCK MY DONG"
YA: Emcee T – Mr. Chinese King of the Bay himself. Damn, a lot has happened since we last spoke – you got a LOT of people from all over talking… YAYAREA.biz appreciates this interview on such short notice.
ET: It's nothing, you know I'm just 10 digits away…
YA: Well, first thing is… what's up with the "SUCK MY DONG" diss to Rosie O'Donnell? Didn't it come a tad late? Isn't that old?
ET: I didn't know racism was old news… matter fact, I don't think replying to any racist, any time is old or "late". Especially if its racism towards Chinese / Asian folks… But yeah, truthfully I didn't even want to reply to Rosie's "Ching Chong" comment that she made on The View – in some ways, any reply to it, is a gimmick. HOWEVER, after viewing the few replies that I did see/hear about, I knew I had to; I had no choice. I saw the replies on MTV CHI – they seem to stereotype Asians in the sense that, instead of FIGHTING BACK, we cower and just accept what was said. In other words, Asians just accept what was said, make a few remarks, talk about our experiences, and move on. With my 'diss', it was an F- YOU to Rosie for making fun of how she 'thinks' Asians talk / sound like… and before anyone else does before, there will be consequence.
YA: Yeah, you sounded & looked pissed off. Was that freestyle?
ET: You know, I wasn't pissed off – I was more pissed off with what society thinks of Asians – submissive, soft, apologetic and non-confrontational. Everything I spit was how I felt at that particular moment; I stand by every single word.
YA: Near the beginning of the diss (that I watched on YouTube), you say "Ching Chong, Ching Chong, what a long way we have NOT come"… what do you mean?
ET: I mean, that you would think because of all this time, and struggles minorities have gone through, that people would stop the blatant racial slurs / comments… obviously, after what Rosie said, we have NOT come a long way – people need to know Asians will stand up for our kind.
YA: Didn't Jin say (in his reply), "what a long way we have come"?
ET: That's part of the reason I made my 'diss'… I had an opposing view…
YA: … and when you say "F- an open letter…"…
ET: Yeah, that's saying no more discussions, its time to ride… no letters, no letters…
YA: Isn't that… (Cut off)
ET: See? That's what I mean. People automatically assume, when you make a racial slur towards Asian people, it means PEACE and love. My point is, NO!!! - sh*t like that will get 'us' mad. I'm just the first to be this openly pissed off – cuss words and the whole nine… hell yeah I'm going to speak my mind in whatever way I wish. If I don't… who will???
YA: I get what you mean… I was scrolling through your YouTube comments and noticed one lady who told you to speak with "intelligence and manners"…
ET: I tried that for 20+ years, and it didn't do sh*t for me, or Asians… you feel?
YA: You got a good point, I didn't see it that way. Now you have thousands of people paying attention…
ET: Enough about that fat pig, lets move on…
YA: (laughs) What else is new with Mr. Emcee T?
ET: A lot of beautiful things. I have a television show that will air in the Bay Area – it's already locked down. The show is called "PUSHIN' THE BAY" and its going to do just that, push-the-bay. It's a hip-hop show that will feature artists from the Bay Area: interviews, freestyles, music videos… a 30-minute show… strictly for the Bay heads… all the information will be posted on www.pushinthebay.com
YA: You never seem to amaze me T… crazy.
ET: I realized, the 'game' isn't just about music – it's about a culture, a movement. Got to stay hungry, and hustle 24-7…
YA: … and you are doing just that!!!
ET: Yezzir.
YA: I know you got to run – thanks for your time, and if you haven't already, support (or leave hate mail to) Emcee T by visiting his MySpace – www.myspace.com/emceet
==================================================
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=607793175 - Higher Resolution Video.
"SUCK MY DONG" - Exclusive Rosie O'Donnell Diss featuring EMCEE T. Sick of the lack of true Asian representation after the blatent "diss" by Rosie, saying "CHING CHONG CHING CHONG" - Emcee T, the Chinese King of the Bay lashes back with full force, no holds barred, raw style. Not only does T represent Chinese, he holds it down for all Asian ethnicities.
Here are the lyrics:
"ching chong ching chong,
what a long way WE HAVE NOT come.
rosie o donell... you can suck my dong... thats real simple.
F**K an open letter... im going to mash on this fat b*t*h,
you racist, you slob, simple fact, you aint sh**...
rosie came out after and said "no disrespect",
you got us mad, 3.4 million asians in the US - resurrected.
cant forget the chinese, the ones who built the railroads,
china alone, equals 1/5 of the whole globe.
i know i know, we cant drive we got glasses,
but check it, look a little closer, we upscale with amg classes.
rosie, keep it up - piss off more than just chinese,
thai folks, korean, japan, vietnamese.
indo, cambo, laos and filipino,
burma, india, guam, to name a few tho.
at the end of the day...
realize, what you say might be real lies,
look in the mirror, porky pig in disguise.
(fat b*t*h)
fyi. donald trump came 'n' sent me, you should ask your girlfriend why,
in 9 months or so, a baby will pop out, with almond shaped eyes.
ching chong...
Kenneth Eng you up next... im out...
emcee t."
just holdin' it down for 'us' asians...
-t