Blog love...

What's goin' on everybody? Hopefully you've been following along on Twitter... things have been real busy since my last post and I know it's been a minute, but for good reasons! One of them being that I approach this blog and my time with you just like everything else in my life: it's all or nothing. If you're gonna meet me here so I can share my thoughts, I got that OCD so they are gonna be well thought out, complete and detailed thoughts dammit! And that takes awhile! Haha.

That being said, thanks for all the love you guys have been sending me about my blog, and I wanna take a moment to send some blog love of my own out into the world...

By now I'm sure you've heard of my homeboy the great J-Zone, right? Admiration of each other's work has lead to a long friendship, and I even met my wife at one of his release parties, so of course we had to have him DJ the wedding:

J.J. Brown and J-Zone...
like-minded allies.

Shouts to my man Sean O'Grady once again for being one of the greatest photogs I know. So anyway, the reason I'm saying all this is you guys gotta check out Zone's new blog over at producer Dante Ross' site, especially this post in particular! We've been finishing each other's sentences since we met, but this shit is almost kind of scary. I agree with every single point he's making about these "unpopular hip-hop opinions" and I couldn't have said it better myself. If you don't like what he's saying, you don't like what I'm thinking, and you can see us both about it. Ha.

While we're at it, here's another great shot from the big day:

Danny, Louis, J-Zone, the1shanti and Turna Ray

I also want to let you know about another blog/website I stumbled upon recently... it's called the Hip-Hop Sample Set Index and you can find it by clicking HERE. This is a major come up for a digger like me who still goes nuts over discovering the originals, especially since this site contains some info I was still looking for even after having dusty fingers for all these years.

Just a taste...
nasty I tell you.

Last but not least, I gotta make a contribution to my Random iTunes Download of the Day section, and this one comes from none other than what some consider the greatest Electronica band of all time, Depeche Mode. The song is called Policy of Truth and it's a maphukin' BEAST. Listen with caution if you don't want an ugly hook riff swirling around in your head all day...

Depeche Mode

Click HERE to hear this joint in all its glory, from the album Violator.

Easy,

J.J.

5G | Twitter | Myspace | Facebook | YouTube | Imeem

Back on my grizzly...

The passing of a musical hero always opens the door to soul searching. Over the course of the last few weeks I've had some great conversations with my colleagues about what initially inspired us to chase our dreams, and what our goals are for the future.

Last Wednesday found the 5G/Well Done family at New York's legendary Chung King Studios for my man Poison Pen's album listening party, and as we entered the building and walked past the gold and platinum achievement plaques lining the walls, everyone made a note of stopping at the Old Dirty Bastard and Michael Jackson frames to pay respect and share some thoughts.

ODB


MJ

After some emotional moments, it was onto the listening room for drinks courtesy of the good people at Captain Morgan, Buffalo wings and celery sticks, and to hear the homie Pen's magnum opus that is "The Money Shot" dropping August 4th on Gold Dust featuring production by yours truly!

Click on the album cover
for a taste of the medicine!

I'll co-sign the "Bed Stuy goon" all day... impeccable beat and guest appearance selection combined with an arsenal of original flows and one of the most unique voices in hip-hop make this guy a force to be reckoned with. And as if you couldn't have guessed, I've also made him a part of my forthcoming debut Connect The Dots. dropping in the fall. His appearance is the potent ingredient that makes our duet It one of my favorite tracks. Shouts to our mutual friend Craig G for stopping by and chopping it up for a few as well!

Craig G & J.J. Brown

When the listening session wrapped we made our way down the block to famed indie music club SOB's in support of our homegirl Miz Metro, to be a part of her Unlimited album release party. Me and Danny produced a joint on there featuring our dude Homeboy Sandman that is different from anything else we've ever done, and is sure to have you scratching your head for a second! Haha. Some New Orleans big band meets Digable Planets shit. It's rightfully titled "Sandman" and a snippet can be found here on her website, where you can purchase her album AVAILABLE NOW. Shouts to the wizardry of Fiona Bloom on the assist!

I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of great memories rocking at SOB's, and this night was no different as me and Eternia joined Miz Metro on stage to unveil the official first single off of my album. It's a concept jam called Gender Bender that brings to light the differences male and female artists face while on the road. Footage from the performance and a proper music video will be rolled out with the release of the single dropping real soon.

Me, Miz Metro and E
putting it down for SOB's!

Before I get back to work, we're talking about all this amazing new music today, so I'd also like everybody to head over to my man Cookbook's MySpace page to download his latest album I Love The 80's FOR FREE! And you know how I feel about my 80's music. Cook rolls with the LA Symphony collective which also includes other industry allies of mine... more on that in the very near future. Until then:

We never stop,

J.J.

5G | Twitter | Myspace | Facebook | YouTube | Imeem

Picking up the pieces...

Hope everybody is doing ok. I know it's been a long time since my last blog post, but the truth is I just couldn't bring myself to write since the passing of my number one idol in entertainment, Michael Jackson.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson
1958-2009

When I write about something in my online journal for all of you, it's the news (and admission) of an event that actually happened, and I just wasn't ready to let that be the case for the untimely death of my legend. It's hard to believe that he's actually gone, but you know what? He is. I know all about the televised tribute although I just couldn't bear to watch it, and I've enjoyed long talks with my mother and grandmother about some of their happiest early memories of me and my meticulous MJ impressions. Over the last few weeks I broke out personal Jackson favorites like Joyful Jukebox Music and just listened. Carefully. I cried to that old Ed Sullivan footage of Who's Lovin' You which almost single-handedly defines all of my musical aspirations. And this morning I signed off on the release of my souvenir London 02 opening night ticket and visited what would have been the official "This Is It" merch table.

I've never been so excited to see the FedEx man!

And so it's really over. I'll keep hustling, but not towards that ultimate goal of someday shaking hands with the reason I do all this, because that's no longer a possibility. And that really hurts. Thank you for all the inspiration Mike. I miss you, and you might be gone but your legacy lives forever. I'll do my part to carry it on my back.

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
- Michael Jackson

My mom said it's important to remember him
where he was happiest, on stage. Just like me.

If you haven't already had a chance, find some perspective on the insecurities Michael dealt with as a result of his immense talent by visiting Lisa Marie Presley's heartfelt blog HERE.

Hear incredible audio of a master at work (and the complete lunacy of the legal system) by CLICKING HERE. Shouts to my man Jesse Sosa on the heads up!

If you're an MJ superfan and sneaker freaker like me, CLICK HERE for a message from the good people at L.A. Gear. It seems our wishes may be granted!

I feel a re-issue coming on!

And if you're a trash journalist like Martin Bashir who built a career on misleading a genius, or a t-shirt company using the death of an icon for financial gain, CLICK HERE. Then shoot me an email at jj@5GProductions.com and tell me what you've learned today.

Long live the king,
J.J.

5G | Twitter | Myspace | Facebook | YouTube | Imeem