We got so much to do these days. It’s amazing how this whole music thing ebbs and flows.

But we’re about our business though. Got two releases coming up this fall, including the anticipated Vox Merger project. I think y’all will be pleased with the outcome after such a significant wait. We took it back to the drawing board a few times, but it’s finally ready to go.

While we’re on the topic of business…we couldn’t help but notice a few folks out there in the music sphere using the term “Illamental”. Well, aside from the fact that I’ve had a grasp on the word Illamental since maybe 96-97, to quote The Stones, “it’s all over now”.

We’ve trademarked the term. We are Illamental. Adjust yourselves accordingly…

from erwin's iphone

last week was a crazy week for me. aside from preparing for midterms, my financial aid check has yet to come in, so i’m literally living off of change and the dollar menu at the carl’s jr down the street from my apt. to top it off, a very close relative has been sick in the hospital for over a month. needless to say, i needed a break on the weekend. so on friday, i went to check out the Far East Movement in whittier. Aside from being dope performers, these cats are some of the most humble dudes i’ve encountered. big ups to them for always holding me down (Vox Merger/FM collabo coming soon). On Saturday, convinced my uncle to buy me into a poker tourney and headed out with some of the homies. I finished 7th, winning some lunch money for the week. Noreen won 3rd and bought Korean bbq for everybody. on sunday, i was gettin ready to drive back down to san diego when some folks convinced me to hit downtown LB to celebrate president’s day. ended up at a wack 18 n over spot and left within an hour. it’s all good though cause we polished off a bottle of JB’s in the car. on monday, passed out at 8pm and woke up at 8am today, drove down to san diego, and now i’m here waiting for my 11:30 class to start. i probably should’ve studied this weekend but fuck it, i had a good time with some good folks. i’ll hit the books hard this week and get my focus back on.

We keep it mad hood with the Hen dogg and Shasta cola!

Just recently, we were able to finish up all primary vocals for the upcoming album by The Vox Merger. Many late nights and early mornings at our spot, which we have unofficially dubbed “The Rock Next Door,” have begun to bear fruit. And if I do say so myself (and I do), I think you’ll all like the style of hip hop that hear from the fellas. Even with the pressed time and sometimes limited resources, they’ve been hitting their milestones and are finally starting to see some daylight as far as a release date is concerned (which I’m sure will be announced soon as well).

While the Illamental camp might think that ‘finished Vox album = impromptu vacation,’ they are dead wrong. Ya boy Bamm Tronics is cooking up a mean music schedule for the ’09, which will require everyone to keep their heads surrounded by headphones and buried within composition books for many months to come. *Rubs hands together menacingly*

Rexx clearly does not agree with Bamm that the beat could use more crunk

Although I can’t openly discuss company business on the blog, I can tell you that it will equal more of “that ill shit, that soulful, that real shit” as Mighty Ro put it so eloquently.

As cliché as it may sound to say “stay tuned”, that is exactly what I’m asking you to do if you’re digging what we make over here. We’re gonna go hard, but we’re doing it by our lonesome for the most part. This hip hop game is like the wild west these days. No one seems to know what The Formula is (shout out to The D.O.C.), and we’re just trying to get in where we fit in. So feedback and support is always golden. So, if you haven’t already, friend us up on the Myspaces and video channel links you see to the right. When we’re not looking at half nekkid ladies’ profile pictures, we’ll be sure to holla back.

I’m putting the word out, any of you who stand in the way of me and “Lady Heroin”, I mean Music I’m knocking you the fuck out. Fellow emcees, rappers and producers a like, beware!

So I walk around telling myself all day that “it’s not about the music anymore”, in a hope to numb myself to the harsh reality(?) that people care more about image than music. And while merchandise and shit like ringtones, clothing, and other trinkets seem to be the absolute must for every artists these days, I started wondering **in my best hippie voice** “when did it stop being about the music, maaaaaan??”

But the further I think back, I can never recall a time (at least in my life) that music wasn’t trying to sell me something other than their CD’s. And I’m not even talking about the usual “fish in a barrel” like Hammer. People you wouldn’t expect – Common wanted me to buy tight ass Gap jeans…. Cube tried to sell me malt liquor… Afrika Bambaataa and Goodie Mob were peddling sprite (I can’t front on those Voltron commercials though – that shit was genius).

Don’t get it twisted – over here at Illamental we are most definitely trying to make a dollar. But here’s the dilemma. We all pretty much find ourselves disgusted with the ravenous scramble for profit that is the music business (especially rap). BUT… if 20 million people suddenly wanted an “Illamental ringtone” we would serve them up with a quickness.

What’s the ledge? Cause I’m not sure we’ve learned it yet.

….now back to “Dancing For Nickels” with your host, Handsome Pete!

So we teamed up with an up and coming label if you will to assist us in marketing, promotion and distribution; run by indie veteran Dizzy Dustin of “Ugly Duckling”. We’ve been patiently waiting while loose ends get tied up in anticipation that this deal will finally give us some of the leverage needed to make our mark.

So, I’m waiting on a call to confirm if our 7:00 meeting is still going down tonight and it got me thinking. Believe it or not patience is probably the most important skill needed in this game. I realized next to physically recording or performing music I’ve spent the majority of my time in this biz waiting.Waiting for the tape to be striped (new school cats probably don’t know what I mean), waiting for the track to be laid, waiting to get level, waiting for my turn to lay my verse, waiting for the track to be mixed, waiting for my (tape) copy to be dubbed. And that’s just in the studio, I won’t get in to all the waiting on the quote unquote business end of things the shit is endless. So, as you can see my wait it is not over I just hope that at the end of it all we get what we’re worth in life.

Hope you all will wait with me. Peace

Listening may not seem like much, but when you listen, we view it as a grand effort on your part. Getting people to “lend you an ear” for 3-4 minutes these days is not easy. Phonte of Little Brother said it best on their Myspace Page

As artists coming along in the digital age, the key thing to remember is that we are not fighting for people’s money, so much as we are fighting for their time and attention. I mean, real rap……content is everywhere. Free downloads, screensavers, raingtones, Youtube clips, etc. Consumers are constantly bombarded with free shit

The amount of music & artists out there is overwhelming. While the digital age has made it so much easier for fans to get the music they like, it’s also made it easier for us musicians to try and shove more shit at you.

I’ve never been a fan of overly aggressive promotion, which puts me in a bind. If I speak too loudly, you might tune me out…..if I don’t speak loudly enough, I’ll get buried in the ocean or noise. It’s a very thin line to walk. Which is why whenever someone takes the time to stop & listen to any music from our team, I am gracious.