Rebelized Culture - Behind the Scenes in Seoul, South Korea

Droppin Jewels: The Price Of Fame

We often think about what our lives will be after we "make it", but little thought is put into what will change. We think about the money, fame, cars, etc. but what is the real price of Fame?

Some might say there is no price while others say "I can deal with whatever is brought my way".

In my opinion Fame is not cheap. As a matter of fact some have paid for fame with their life. Gone are the days you can go to the mall and shop with no interruptions. Gone are the days you can go to the restroom without anyone asking for an autograph. Gone are the days you would sit at home with your family during the holidays and for birthdays. As a matter of fact life as you knew it is completely over.

As an artist, your fans feel as if they know you and their is no longer the fine line between business and personal. When you get off the stage you are still "on." The days you are sick, tired or just don't want to be bothered you are still "on." Your every move and word are put in the limelight to be dissected and scrutinized by the public.

Not only are you as the artist put in the limelight, but your family who have no desire to be in the light are put in an awkward position. Many artists take that extra step and work extra hard to keep their personal life personal.

So, my question to you is, "are you ready for FAME?" What sacrifices are you willing to make? Are you built for the industry?

Stay Prayed up and GOD BLESS!!!

- Imani

Droppin Jewels: The "Right Now" Society

This post is rather simple. I've noticed that in our society we are what I like to call the "right now" society. What does this mean? It simply means that we want what we want now or never. We are a society and culture of instant gratification. Unfortunately, in the world, that is not how it always works out.

In the industry and in life I like to live by the three P's. They are prayer, patience and persistence.

Prayer- GOD IS! Without him life is hard. With him all things are possible. Praying is your direct connect to GOD and a way to tell him what is on your heart.

Patience- Once you pray about it wait. Wait for GOD to answer your prayers or give you direction on what it is you need. No need to worry because praying and worrying don't go hand in had.

Persistence- One definition of persistence is " continued existence of occurrence." Stay on the course. Don't worry or waver. What is for you is for you. GOD is in Control.

Be Blessed

- Imani

Droppin' Jewels: Industry Roles & Your Team

In the industry everyone has a role. There is no role that is more important than the other as each person plays a vital role in success. At least that is how it is supposed to be.

Over the past few years, we have heard about people going bankrupt due to bad business moves, or people firing their team because of mishandling of funds. As an artist, it is important to make sure the people around you have your best interest at heart. That rule applies to the attorney down to the personal assistant.

Often times, artist like to employ those they are close with, like family or Friends, or those who stroke their ego the best. Ultimately, this type of business move is very costly.

With that being said I have some tips on building that perfect team:

1. Do your research

2. Put your team through an interview process just as any other employer would do before hiring someone

3. Take references from reputable people

4. If they are selling you the world RUN.

5. If their is doubt Question

6. Make sure they see YOUR vision and not one THEY have for you.

Here are other helpful tips:

1. Always sign your own checks

2. Read over all contracts and agreements

3. Audit every 30-60 days.

4.Learn the power of the word NO!

- Imani

This Week in Rebel Culture....

This Week in Rebel Culture....

Nujabes: Legendary Japanese Hip Hop Producer

If you're a lover of all spectrum's of music (especially mood chillin' music), then you probably already know of the artist who goes by the name of Nujabes. And if you don't, you will. Nujabes, (new-jah-bes) or Jun Seba, was a Japanese hip-hop producer who was specifically known for his Jazz samples/sounds mixed with his hip-hop beats. Jun was also the owner of Shibuya Records, T Records, Guinness Record stores and founder of the label Hydeout Productions. A good example and also one of the main sources that people find out about him is from the anime series Samurai Champloo, as Nujabes was one of the main contributors to the soundtrack, which mixed feudal Japan with a modern hip hop culture. Not all his work is instrumental though, Jun has worked closely with artists from Japan such as Shing02, Uyama Hiroto, Minmi, and even American hip-hop cats like CYNE, Substantial, Apani B, and many more.


Unfortunately on February 26, 2010, Jun Seba was in a deadly traffic accident while exiting the Shuto Expressway late night. He died in the Shibuya Ward hospital after many failed attempts to revive him. Jun was 36 years old.

Jun has produced four of his own albums like, Metaphorical Music or Modal Soul, along with a few compilation albums. Hydeout Productions told reporters that Nujabes has left many tracks behind which they will release at a later date.

For me his music is a big inspiration, as the sounds he produces are very uplifting and positive. Even in his song "Think Different" feat. Substantial, he sings about doing more positive, respectful things, almost insulting other rappers who thrive off the gangster rap image. The style of hip hop sounds and lyrics reminds me of the days of real street music with artists like "A Tribe Called Quest" or " Naughty By Nature". So I'll play this out while listing to his track - Hikari, saying: go check Nujabes out because he's Whats Up!
 
- SnowDjInn

Gymnastic Rings

When it comes to physical training there are many tools available that all provide a wide myriad of benefits depending on the goals of the practitioner. Gymnastic rings are one such tool especially for the minimalist on a budget. Rings are fairly affordable, completely adjustable, and able to be placed almost anywhere. Their small size makes them extremely mobile in addition to the training stimulus and benefits provided by them that are difficult to find in other devices.

The first thing that one will notice upon using rings for the first time is the stability issues. There will typically be great difficulty just in keeping one’s arms from shaking as the body begins to recruit muscles to stabilize the position that have never been used before. In addition to this, the tension created by simply the smallest adjustment of leverage requires a very large recruitment of muscle fibers.. Rings do not allow you to cheat or create leverage that doesn’t come from your body which forces practitioners to develop good form and technique in their movements as well. Moving incorrectly will result only in being unable to maintain balance or failing to complete a movement. It is a well established fact that pound for pound gymnasts are typically some of the strongest athletes in the world. One of the reasons for this is performing movements that lack leverage such as those done on the rings.

While I am personally excited about the personal benefits I am experiencing and will still experience in the future from my own ring training, I want to make a point to declare that I am not advocating rings as a replacement for weight training although it is certainly an alternative. There are still many athletic benefits to training with weights which should not be ignored such as the dynamic and explosive nature of the training. I am simply suggesting ring training as an effective inclusion to a complete training regimen. Simply lifting oneself up onto rings will provide quite surprising physical challenges to the inexperienced body. I would encourage those that do attempt ring training to make a point to try and work on the more gymnastic oriented movements as opposed to adapting typical workouts (such as pushups, dips, etc.) to ring training. This will comprise mainly static movements such as levers, handstands, or iron crosses and positional movements (moving into position) such as swings, muscle ups, and presses. One of the benefits to gymnastics training is forcing the body to adapt to different positions constantly as opposed to performing repetitions of the same movements.

I am still experimenting with my own body trying to figure out which training tools and ideas work best for me, but, I can certainly say that in the short time I’ve used rings I’ve noticed strength increases and definitely an increase in body control. For those that give it a shot be sure to be safe and do a little bit of additional research for proper practice and movement. There are a number of tutorials available on youtube for the beginner all the way up to the more advanced athlete. Good luck and have fun training!

-Javier

The Occult

What up Trend Dodging Rebels of the World! So much is going on and there's so much to discuss. Which rapper is next to get a 12-month publicity-bid in prison? (j/k)

Anyways, I'm currently reading "The Kingdom of the Occult" by Walter Martin.  I just started it, but so far my mind is being stimulated and challenged. It touches on the topics of Astrology, Channeling and Seances, ESP, Wicca and Witchcraft, Scientology and the New Age Movement, Spiritual Warfare and Counseling, Reincarnation, Telepathy, and much much more.

I know I'm not the only one seeing all these occult-related videos on YouTube about Jay-Z, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and others being involved in the occult movement and "supposedly" worshipping the devil. I'm not judging, making assumptions or jumping to conclusions. I am simply curious, and so I am researching and investigating what seems to be the topic that everyone is wondering about but no one is speaking to openly about. If you've been seeing those video clips and wanting to gain some insight for your self, start by reading the book "The Kingdom of the Occult". 

The occult is really not secret or as mysterious as YouTube is making it out to be.  There's nothing new under the sun, but ignorance due to lack of knowledge and information can cause people to fear what they don't understand or have misperceptions about certain things. Plain and simple, read and seek understanding. Don't forget to read the Bible and see how much of this information is actually in there as well.  The Bible is truly the Book of Life.  But, I digress.  Check out "The Kingdom of the Occult".

- Lex

The Occult Pt 1 (watch pt 1 through 18)

Bobby Seale Analyzes The Game

Welcome to the inaugural post for what’s surely going to be one of the most opinionated yet unbiased Hip Hop Blogs you’ll ever lay your eyes on: “Bobby Seale Analyzes the Game”. Here’s what you can expect from my posts, REAL SHIT, point blank period. No candy coating, no pulling punches for my favorite rappers (shout out to all of SLAUGHTERHOUSE), a few quality album reviews and comparisons, and a lot of opinions that I and I alone have on the game and its direction.

So my first order of business is to have a call to arms to all the real lyricist out to seek and destroy Waka Flaka Flame! Ok . . . so maybe that’s a little harsh, but at this point I’m starting to think I respect 35 year olds that still “Superman Dat Hoe” more than I respect him. On a side note, rappers in New York have to be committing samurai-style suicide every time they remind people that he’s originally from their city ( what up Jamaica Queens). He can be the sole representative of everything, EVERYTHING, that is wrong with new school hip hop. Like Chris Rock said, “It was easy to defend rappers like 2Pac, Biggie, & Public Enemy. They were creating works of art.” There is absolutely no defending the shit being put over beats now a days, no matter how hard “Oh Let’s Do it” hits in your system.

When will we as fans decide to stop being spoon fed bullshit music wrapped in great production and catchy hooks? I respect the fact that Mr. Flame pretty much acknowledged the fact that he is a garbage rapper, but as a fan, do we really want to listen to guys that don’t care about their own product anymore? I hope we have higher expectations for music, especially since it’s the mainstream representation of our culture. As a rapper, but entirely more important as a young black man, I want to be able to land the first punch on the side of this ignorant ass nigga’s head (sorry mom).

Unfortunately there isn’t an album I want to review this week but I will say make sure you pick up E.F. Hutton by 1Reazn ( http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/1REAZN ) it’s $7.00 and it’s a great album. It’s real hip hop at it’s roots make sure you support the Trend Dodger movement!


Bobby Seale aka Bugatti Bobby
Frontline Entertainment
www.Twitter.com/Bugatti_Bobby
www.Myspace.com/NCFrontline
www.Reverbnation.com/BobbySealeFrontlineEnt