First Post

Today I can't get this "Dumb it Down" song from Lupe Fiasco out of my head! I'm loving it. The first verse of the song is insane. Lyrically I love the wordplay! He can contend with mainstream artists without having to dumb it down. And for the critiques, their words don’t phase him.

Here’s the lyrics:

Carrera (Dumb it down)
Coolest nigga what (Dumb it down)
FNF up (Dumb it down)
(Dumb it down)

[Verse 1]:

I'm fearless
Now hear this
I'm earless
And I'm peerless
That means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless
Which means my iris resides where my ears is
Which means I'm blinded
But I'ma find it I can feel it's nearness
But I'ma veer so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer
But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this, clearly cause my blindness
The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere. Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here
And he clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting is rosy, pockets full of posies, given to the mother of the deceased. Awaken at war, 'til I'm restin' in peace

[Chorus 1]:

You goin' over niggas' heads Lu (Dumb it down)
They tellin' me that they don't feel you (Dumb it down)
We ain't graduate from school nigga (Dumb it down)
Them big words ain't cool nigga (Dumb it down)
Yeah I heard Mean And Vicious nigga (Dumb it down)
Make a song for the bitches nigga (Dumb it down)
We don't care about the weather nigga (Dumb it down)
You'll sell more records if you (Dumb it down)

[Verse 2]:

And I'm mouthless
Which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a Lear
She fine and she flyin, I feel I'm flying by'em 'cause my mind's on cloud nine and I'm a mime at the same time
Pimps see the wings on the underground king
Who's also Klingon
To infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I Sphinx like Leon
Or lying in the desert
I'm flying on pegasus you're flying on the pheasant
Rider of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers, spit hot fire like Dylon on Chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn, snort the white horse, but toot my own horn

[Chorus 2]:

You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right Lu (Dumb it down)
They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb it down)
They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down)

[Verse 3]:

And I'm brainless
Which means I'm headless
Like Ichabod Crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is
Which makes me stainless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less
Like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest 'bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and excess depth
Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues
My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside'em, chest high and rising
Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
Lucky they make it flowered
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine
Make it rain
Make a boat
I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again..(Westside)

[Chorus 3]:

You putting me to sleep nigga (Dumb it down)
That's why you ain't popping in the streets nigga (Dumb it down)
You ain't winning no awards nigga (Dumb it down)
Robots and skateboards nigga? (Dumb it down)
GQ Man Of The Year G? (Dumb it down)
Shit ain't rocking over here B (Dumb it down)
Won't you talk about your cars nigga? (Dumb it down)
What the fuck is goyard (???what is that???) nigga (Dumb it down)
Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb it down)
Pour champagne on a bitch (Dumb it down)
What the fuck is wrong with you? (Dumb it down)
How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb it down)

He is no stranger to my library of music. I remember catching Lupe performing in Upstate New York this year. Check out the piece I wrote. He was inspiring me then and remains an inspiration!

Lyricists : An Awesome Delivery of Raw Emotion
Last night I saw a hip hop show

Did you hear me?

I said a hip hop show

Now if you could close your eyes

Feel what I felt.

I heard a bass line

and before the crowd reacted

I was sent back in time.

To that feel good mood

I aspired to see if the verse could contend

And Man did it!!

This artist took me to Linkin Park

Guitar strokes as the beat goes on

Verbs came in and my heart paused

my eyes widened in anticipation

it was a lyrical emancipation

Over and Over he beat the beat up

Watched the crowd eat it up

Brought the fatherless streets up

As the DJ would speed the beat up

His animated gestures

made my eyes follow where words go

he spoke that real talk

dropped some similes

so that the crowd paid attention to his message

not to mention

he repeated this message

so any doubts you had shattered

like the myths you might've had

if you thought he didn't matter

This talent was serious

not unheard of

but raw, uncut, delivery of ink

he inspired me to write

provoked me to think

what a world i was in

seeing him rock out to his own beat

Black Roots in Rock N Roll

Showed its face in this man's soul

Casual in demeanor

No glamorized swagger

Led Zeppelin was on his shirt

Influencing this present day rapper

I walked away wanting to write this piece

Just at the end of his delivery

I was mesmerized

Because it's not all the time

You see, feel, and hear

and young aspiring artist

Bring to life

a story

that

compliments

the nooks

cracks

crevices

of the beat.

It's evident he lives and breaths hip hop.

Moving right along...

I have to shout out this next person! One of the biggest highlights of this year was going to the studio to watch this Rochester native spit that hot fiyah! A.S.A.P. is his name. His latest album is entitled, "Good Dude Chronikelz"! Not only is he feeding you what hip-hop has been missing, but this multi-dimensional artist put your's truly, Ms. Junior Liteskinn on the roster, debuting the interview skills on his latest CD! A.S.A.P. is thick with talent and this album isn't even the icing on the cake. Support real Hip-Hop! Don't just take my word for it, goto A.S.A.P.'s OFFICIAL MYSPACE MUSIC PAGE and see for yourself how well Rochester represents! "Run It" & "The Real" are my favorite tracks!

I mentioned the Roc.
Natives call it RocCity. I call it Rottenchester! It's my heaven and my hell. Washington D.C. birthed me, and Rochester got to know me. I left the Roc recently to expand my wings a little bit. But no matter how far I go I will rep’ Rochester's talent. I love Hip-hop. I listen to all types of music. I listen to all types of beats. But hip-hop reigns supreme!

Which brings me to where I got my name
"JUNIOR LITESKINN"?

Well if the Liteskinn wasn't an indication of my skin tone.. I don't know what is! Truth is told, I was given the name by A.S.A.P. He has this ability to come up nicknames that fit like a glove. So I took it and ran with it! Now all I hear is "Junior Junior" or "Miss Liteskinn".

Back to the music…..

Talib Kweli (sounds like music to my ear just saying his name!). I’ve been pumping a lot of his songs through my IPod. In the Mood, Hot Thing, One Step (ft. Talib Kweli), and Feel the Bass(ft. Talib Kweli) to name a few. This won't be the first time you see me talk about Talib. He is one of my favorites!

I’ll leave you with a little bit of Mr. Kweli to put you in the mood. Until next time……..