The Double Scoop

Artistic Depression

Authors: The Double Scoop

People always complain about the demise of real music, but REAL music is alive and well in the underground. Ray “Kincaid” is an underground artist that puts his heart and soul into the music he creates. We got a chance to hear him for the first time last year at the 3^rd Eye Music Festival and his nostalgic and unique sound is what caught our attention. The Jackson, Mississippi artist took a leap of faith by quitting his job and pursuing music full time. He’s been rapping since he was in the 7^th grade and has been pursuing music professionally for about 3 years.

Ray recently dropped his EP Artistic Depression and we were able to listen to an exclusive un-mastered version. His sound is very reminiscent of smooth 80’s and 90’s hip hop and you can hear it in his flow and delivery and even in the soundbites and samples he uses throughout the album.

Ray told us about his love for ole school music:

“I feel like the 90s….was the last great decade of soul touching music….with the 70s being the foundation of great black music. …now in the 2000s we had a few golden pieces like L.Hill, Jill Scott, Lupe, Kanye and etc….but the 90s gave us so much greatness. Anita Baker dropped Rapture in the 90s. I think Nas came with Illmatic, Tribe blessed us with Low End Theory. ..80s gave us the king Michael Jackson (my favorite artist of all time) .70s….gave us Marvin Gaye….so these are the time periods I draw most of my inspirations from.”

Artistic Depression touches on diverse topics like the difficulty of being a black man in society today, pursuing dreams, the male ego, and personal topics like depression and suicide.

Some of our favorite tracks off the EP are The Shameful Turn Up, The Handshake, In Search of Good Vibes, The Rope and Radio Theory and Dreams of the Otaku.

The album opened with The Shameful Turn Up featuring Cymone, another talented artist from Mississippi. We all can relate to indulging in bad habits to take our minds off of our problems.

“Suicidal……trying to find my salvation in this bottle……”

The Handshake is a more radical track speaking on what it’s like to be a young black man in America today.

“I know America hate it……. A young black man self-aware and educated…”

“With this pain in my brain it’s hard to maintain a humble mind frame because every time I turn on my tv screen I see a dead body that looks like me……”

The Rope and Radio Theory speaks on depression and how most of the mainstream music is doing nothing to help ease the silent suffering many people are feeling.

“Fuck feeding you knowledge…….I’m trying to feed my wallet….”

“Fuck you going to college…..I’d rather put you in a coffin…”

Ray opened up to us about how has suffered from depression since he was 13:

“Creating art seems to be the best medicine. ….it really helps me cope with it…..that and the love from my family and friends. …without them I have no idea where I’d be. I hope that one day God will bless me with the ability to get rid of depression and also help me help others who also suffer from it. People take depression so lightly. ..but its real…very real.”

Dreams of the Otaku is a very relatable track. So many of us are groomed to go to college by our parents so that we can live the American dream which for most of us, it’s working a job that we hate. It almost feels like a prison sentence.

Ray talked more about quitting his job and pursuing his passion:

“I really don’t want to settle working a job that I hate. I quit my job and it was one of the scariest things I have ever done because I always followed the rules, but as I sat down at that desk wearing that suit and tie a piece of my soul just vanished. Every time I punched that time in. Now with the help of my friends and family I’m here following my dreams.”

Check out Artistic Depression here.

Nick Grant 88

Authors: The Double Scoop

If you’re a fan of rap especially old school hip hop, than you’ve probably noticed the sound and feel of that genre of music has changed over the years. With the exception of a few rappers like J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Big Krit just to name a few, most rappers today don’t have much lyrical substance. Most of us like to listen to ratchet music every once in a while but it’s also nice to hear songs that can stimulate the mind.

At the end of last year we got a chance to catch Big Krit’s final show off of his Kritically Acclaimed tour in Atlanta. Neither of us are big fans of local opening acts but one young mc stood out at the show. He was a South Carolina artist by the name of Nick Grant and as soon as he got on stage he looked into the crowd and told us that his job was to make us remember his name, and that he did.

After the show we had to know more about Nick so we researched him and discovered he had been making music for a minute. We were just blown away by his lyricism. He released his mixtape 88 at the beginning of last month and the buzz since its release still hasn’t let up. He named the album after the year he was born (1988) and because that year was considered the “golden era” of hip hop.

His sound is reminiscent of the late 90s and early 2000s but at the same time still current. Although he is from the south his sound is very northern. He reminds you of rappers like Nas, Common and Jadakiss. There were a lot of dope songs on the mixtape; some of our faves were Black Sinatra, Gold Chains, Contradiction, Royalty, and The Jungle.

Black Sinatra has a Jay Z/The Blue Print feel to it and is loaded with metaphoric lyricism over a smooth beat.

Gold Chains speaks on how people have become mentally enslaved to material things.

“Niggas dying for Gold Chains
Niggas dying for Gold Chains
Nigga we mentally enslaved
Buy Gold Chains do anything to drive a Range nigga

Contradiction was another one of our favorites. It’s the love song that talks about what many women are afraid to hear; the guy who loves you but just can’t commit.

She said love don’t cost a thing
Won’t expose her heart to pain
I said love done came and went
It packed up and caught the train

And of course as avid Big Krit fans we were definitely loving the Royalty remix which also featured Killer Mike. Grant is definitely not afraid to speak out on relevant issues that are taking place in society but like he said in Window Seat, another song off of the mixtape, “don’t call him gangster or conscious, he’s just being real and honest.”

88 will definitely appease the appetites of hungry hip hop fans.

No Kid Zone

Author: Amy Nicole

Believe it or not marriage and kids are not top priorities for most millennial women these days. A few months ago I read an article on XoNecole which featured an interview from Shonda Rhimes and Oprah Winfrey about the topic of getting married and having children. At 61, Oprah has no children and has never been married, but she does have a very successful career and has been in a relationship with her long term partner for over 30 years. At 46, Shonda Rhimes is a very successful television writer with 3 daughters. Two of her daughters are adopted and one is by a surrogate. She is adamant that she has absolutely no desire to get married. The purpose of the article was to highlight how women are going against societies guidelines and are creating their own standards for having a happy and successful life. Reading this article put me at so much ease about my thoughts of not wanting to have children because I realized that I wasn’t alone.

My youngest sister just had a daughter 3 months ago and I love my little niece to death. Some times when I’m spending time with her I think to myself that motherhood may not be too bad but then reality sets in that a baby will eventually grow into a pre-teen and then into a rambunctious teenager! I have never really been maternal and sometimes I even get awkward around kids, especially around a group of them. A big part of me has this fear that I won’t be a good parent. Parents have such a big influence on their child’s life and I would hate to screw up my child’s head due to bad parenting.

When I tell my mom that I don’t think I want children she gives me this look of horror like I said I wanted to kill someone. I believe some women are born to be mothers and some women are not. I remember being at church one day and hearing a preacher say it was every woman’s responsibility to have children. While listening to the pastor’s words I thought to myself what if a person doesn’t have the desire for children? I mean just like some people don’t like vegetables some people don’t like kids.

There are a lot of women who are younger than me that already have more than one child. One of the most offensive questions that childless women get asked is, “When are you going to have kids?” What irks me the most is that most of the women who ask the question are the ones who have two or three kids by different men. I think the logic that you should have kids while you’re young rather than when you’re mentally and financially ready to have them is very ignorant. Having children is not something you should rush because they are a lifetime commitment. I know because my parents still have to help me out financially from time to time. You can’t just give them back when you get tired of them; children are a huge responsibility and they require you to make so many sacrifices. You sacrifice your time, energy, money, careers, and for most women your bodies! I’m not ready to sacrifice any of those things right now. Right now I’m single and it’s a struggle for me going to work all day, trying to come home and cook, and trying to fit in a workout. The thought of trying to fit kids into that equation just seems overwhelming.

When I was doing research for this topic I came across an article which listed a few reasons why women shouldn’t have children. Some of those reasons included the following:

You shouldn’t have children unless you can be sure you will love them no matter how they turn out, faults and all. This includes mental or physical disability, if they turn out to be a homicidal maniac or if they don’t do things you understand.

You shouldn’t have children unless you can truly afford them, and have a considerable amount of money stashed away to fund their existence until they are at least 18 years of age. If you want a child so much then you should make it your goal to be able to afford the things they require.

You should not have child for your own gain. Whether it be to keep your marriage together, to have someone to love you, or to have someone to care for you when you are old.

I agree with all of these reasons on why people shouldn’t have children. Growing up I had this idea of what my adult life should look like. Go to college, start a career, get married, and have children. Now that I’m at the point where I need to start thinking about having kids and I don’t think I won’t any, I feel like I’m doing something wrong. Society tells women that they are selfish or less of a woman if they don’t have children when in fact they are neither. The choice not to have kids is a right that every woman should have and they shouldn’t be scrutinized for their decision. I’m not completely crossing kids off of my to do list because things could change in the future, but if I decide not to have kids I don’t think I will look back later in life and have any regrets.

Photo Credit: The Grio

Not Settling Or Being Too Picky?

Author: Amy Nicole

I’ve been told two scenarios when it comes to being in a relationship and getting married. One scenario is that dating and marriage aren’t about love but about what you can deal with in another person. The other is that marriage is too hard to just settle because you have to really love someone to be able to put up with his/her flaws.

I haven’t been in a relationship in a while but I do date, and I’ve been told by some people that the reason I’m still single is probably because I’m too picky. Don’t get me wrong I do want a nice guy but if I’m going to commit to a person I want it to be with someone who I really like and who excites me.

I wanted to get other people’s opinions on what they thought the difference between being too picky and settling was so I asked a few people on social media. Here are a few responses that I received:

Being picky is focusing on physical things like height, weight, appearance, good teeth, etc and also on what monetary things the person possesses like cars, money, house, etc. Some of the things are ok, like if you have a thing for teeth then by all means find a man with straight teeth, but if all your qualifications are about the physical appearance or monetary possessions then you are being too picky.

People settle for a number of reasons: they don’t want to be alone, would rather have a piece of a man than none at all, don’t want to start over, comfort, sex, being afraid they won’t find better, etc.

Misplaced priorities…..They find things they feel are important & put up with the rest.

“Settling” enables the belief that one is “too good” for another when it’s really just about preferences & matching them.

Most people agreed that being “too picky” is when you focus more on physical and materialistic qualities like looks and money and “not settling” is when you refuse to commit to someone whose lifestyle or personality doesn’t benefit your own in a positive way.

Some may ask what’s wrong with wanting the type of person that you want to be with even if the qualities are very shallow. I can’t argue with that, but like I’ve always been told you need to be the type of person that you are looking for. If you want someone who is sexy, rich, and has a nice body then you need to make sure that you have those same characteristics. Like the saying goes “don’t be a penny looking for a dime”! One important fact that most people should realize is that you are never going to find someone who is perfect. Maybe I’m being naïve to believe that true love still exists, but when it comes to me committing the rest of my life with someone you better believe that I’m going to make sure that I am capable of loving that person unconditionally and for him to be able to do the same for me.

Photo Credit: The Libertarian Republic

The Coldest Winter Ever: My Battle With Depression

Author: Ashley E.

Winter was always one of my favorite seasons until last year. Last winter things had gotten so bad for me that I found myself sitting in front of a therapist hoping she could help me put my life back together. I had been dealing with depression on and off for the past 2 years but it was starting to take a heavy toll on me and prayers and pep talks with friends weren’t helping me cope anymore.

In those two years I experienced a failed relationship, the news of an unexpected health problem, losing my job, and moving to a new unfamiliar state without a plan. A few months into my move I found myself broke, behind on bills and on the verge of having my car repossessed. I just couldn’t figure out how I lost so much control over my life in such a short period of time. If you could rewind my life back three years prior things seemed to be going pretty good for me. I had a second degree under my belt and I was working a job in my field making decent money and just living a normal life for the most part. That was my reality check on how easily your circumstances can change and how your world can get flipped upside down in the blink of an eye.

Every single day for almost a year I would wake up with the thoughts of my problems on my mind and I would carry those thoughts with me throughout the entire day. I felt like I was losing my mind because the thoughts were never ending and they were starting to have an effect on my health. It got to a point where I looked forward to going to sleep because it was the only time I had peace of mind from my problems. I always considered myself to be a strong individual but having to deal with all of those problems at one time caused me to reach my breaking point. I felt like I was failing at life and for the first time I felt inadequate and unimportant. It’s crazy how when it seems like everything is going wrong in your life you forget about everything that is going right and you forget about all of your accomplishments and talents. It really hit me that I needed to seek help when my thoughts started becoming suicidal. The thought of going to sleep and not waking up was becoming a reoccurring thought in my mind.

Going to counseling turned out to be really helpful for me. It wasn’t a quick fix to my problems but my therapist was able to help me re-frame my thoughts and give me a new perspective on my situation. There is still a lot of stigma associated with depression and mental illness and a lot of people don’t see them as major health problems. It’s ironic because our mind is what keeps our entire body in check but we tend to neglect it the most.

I wrote this post because I wanted to share my experience with anyone that might be dealing with depression in hopes that it might let someone out there know they are not alone and that it’s okay to get help. My mom has suffered from clinical depression for years and I always disregarded her situation as something that she can simply control but once it affected me I realized it wasn’t something you could snap out of so easily.

As I continue on my journey to self-love and building a better relationship with myself, I’m constantly making sure my mind, body, and spirit are in tune. A lot of times we give so much of ourselves to other people without taking time out for us. It’s okay to be selfish with your time to take care of yourself and it’s okay to reach out for help when you feel like you’re sinking. Life can get heavy and behind those smiles most of us wear daily we are dealing with internal issues.

Nina Simone Movie Trailer Sparks Outrage

Author: Amy Nicole

The first trailer for the Nina Simone movie that premiered last week has the internet going crazy but not in a good way. The movie titled “Nina” stars actress Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone. The film will cover the life of the singer and civil rights activist and it will chronicle her career demise and return to music.

When it was first announced that Saldana would be portraying Nina Simone, producers were met with a lot of criticism particularly from black viewers who believed that an actress who better resembled Simone should have been cast for the role. Nina Simone had a very dark complexion and she was known for her strong ethnic features. I think the biggest issue with Saldana being cast for the role is that she does not identify as African American but as a Black Latino.

Watching the trailer you can visibly see Saldana’s heavy dark make-up and prosthetic nose. Many have compared Saldana’s appearance in the movie to a caricature. Singer India Arie is one of the many people who have spoken out against the film. She had the following to say about the casting choice:

“I think the best way to say it is that they casted her against type and went too far to make her fit,” she explained. “It’s not my place to say how Zoe Saldana perceives herself, and I can’t say how anybody else perceives her either.”

Nina Simone’s daughter, Simone Kelly says that she isn’t upset with Zoe Saldana but is upset with the director Cynthia Mort for telling an inaccurate story of her mother. Kelly stated that the family wasn’t consulted for the film.

Honestly because of my age I wasn’t too familiar with the life of Nina Simone. I knew she was a singer but I didn’t realize how significant her legacy was until I recently watched the documentary “What Happened Miss Simone” . I’m interested in watching the movie and I’m also a fan of Zoe Saldana so I will definitely be checking the film out.

“Nina” is scheduled to be released on April 22, 2016.

Check out the trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yfxOCiHr4

Photo Credit: Atlanta Black Star

Untitled Unmastered

Author: Amy Nicole

Last week Kendrick Lamar dropped an unannounced album called “Untitled Unmastered”. The album features 8 untitled tracks showing the dates the songs were recorded. The tracks on the 35 minute album are all live recordings.

I recently had a chance to listen to the album and it sounds like an extension of Lamar’s last project “To Pimp A Butterfly”. Like most of Kendrick’s music you have to listen to the songs more than once to grasp the underlining message behind the lyrics. The album features Lamar rapping over up-tempo instrumentals with subtle elements of jazz. He covers topics like political corruption, religion, self-awareness, and spirituality, and he briefly touches on the black lives matter movement.

Overall Untitled Unmastered is consistent with Lamar’s metaphoric artistic sound and is definitely worth the listen.

Photo Credit: Rolling Stone

Wicked City

Sir Flywalker

Author: Ashley E.

The vibe in Offbeat this past Sunday was chill yet energetic at the “Wicked City” hip hop showcase presented by 3^rd Eye Booking Company. Me and Amy got a chance to host the show and the crowd was pretty thick for a Sunday night. Local artists Ray “Kincaid” and Cymone, Mildred Noor, Talia Sade, and Tira D shared the stage with headliners LV Baby and Sir Flywalker. Both of the headliners reside in Atlanta but are Mississippi natives. Another local artist Silas Stapleton also made a guest appearance. He has been getting a lot of buzz lately since his single and video to Gullah Gullah Island dropped.

Ray “Kincaid” & Cymone

This was our first time seeing LV and Sir Flywalker perform live and I can’t believe we have been deprived for so long. LV who is currently on tour performed along with his band a few songs from his EP Blu Moon. Flywalker gave a sneak peak of what’s to come from his upcoming project Indigo which will be released this week. The energy during both sets were crazy. All of the performances that night were dope. There are so many hidden musical gems in Mississippi and it’s great that 3^rd Eye Booking Company and Offbeat offer platforms to showcase the talents of these rising artists.

Talia Sade

The Double Scoop on hosting duties!

Photo Cred: SneakerBoxx

Issa Rae Premieres Narrative Podcast “Fruit”

Author: Amy Nicole

I’ve been a fan of Issa Rae since I watched her web series Awkward Black Girl a few years back and it’s amazing to see how much her career has grown in such a short period of time. Since the success of Awkward Black Girl she has gone on to produce and write several more web series’, has written a book, and has recently partnered with HBO to produce a comedy series.

Issa’s newest project is a narrative podcast called “Fruit”. The audio drama focuses on the life of a gay NFL player who tries to keep his sexual orientation private. During the podcast listeners will hear the story of a football player who is only indentified as X. Throughout each episode X will discuss his journey of self-discovery and sexual exploration. The show will also follow the relationships that X has with his family, friends, and teammates and will reveal how those relationships affect his self-identity.

I’ve recently started listening to the podcast and it is definitely an interesting show! Issa Rae’s approach to telling a story in the form of a podcast is very unique and creative! Fruit is available exclusively on the Howl premium service, available through a mobile app for iOS and Android and online at howl.fm. You can also listen to the show on Issa Rae’s YouTube Channel.

Photo Credit: Strong and Elite; Digital Trends

IMG

About a month ago while scrolling through Instagram I came across a young artist’s page from Atlanta named Naomi The Goddess. She had one of those rare, distinct and mesmerizing voices that you couldn’t help but to stop and listen to, so I immediately reached out to her to see if she would be interested in being a guest on our music podcast. When we finally met in person I learned that she was a part of a talented group called IMG which stands for “Instrumentalist Music Group.” They are definitely not your average music group and it’s apparent when you listen to the lyrics in their music; they’re on a mission to spread a message.

The members of the group are T.R.3, Naomi The Goddess, The.Poet, A-B The Prophet, Hipstar, P4trone, JanuaryHigh, Lazaria, FrankDex, and Bankhead. The group of friends are all individual artists and songwriters who with the exception of a few met in high school.

I caught up with Naomi and TR3 for a quick interview to get more information about IMG. Check it out below.

Ashley E: When did IMG get started?

TR3: The group got started the summer of 2012, it was junior year of high school. I had been making music on my own for a while but it turned serious around senior year.

Ashley E: I listened to some of yall’s music and just by the lyrics alone I can see that you guys are a conscious group in terms of the messages that you’re putting out. How would you describe your music?

TR3: I don’t want to put us in the same box as just conscious because I feel conscious nowadays is being taken the wrong way. We consider ourselves to be “truthers” because we’re trying to spread knowledge. Knowledge is key.

Ashley E: How do you feel about a lot of the mainstream music that’s out?

TR3: I feel like artists are crying out for help, subliminally telling us about the evils that are out there.

Ashley E: Would you say you’ve always been a “truther?”

Naomi: I’ve always been open minded and a person who thought outside of the box but I would say just in the past couple of months have I really awakened in a sense and started researching and seeking information.

TR3: I’ve always been different even back in middle school. I was called crazy and kind of stuck to myself but I’ve always been a seeker.

Ashley E: How would you describe IMG in a few words?

Naomi: Very aware and grimy.

TR3: Very raw and uncut yet we justify being raw and uncut and we say it with substance.

Check out the group’s work here and check out our interview with Naomi and her performance on the Inspire Magazine music podcast here.