May: Whatuptho?

Ask The Hedonist

"What does 'hedonism' mean to you?" 

Hedonism relates to the pursuit of pleasure; and more specifically, the ethical theory that pleasure is the highest good and proper aim of human life. 

My personal definition of hedonism is to live a life full of the people, pursuits, and interests that make me the happiest. 

In short, I try my best to surround myself only with the best and most interesting people, music, and experiences possible.

"What one song could you listen to on repeat for the rest of infinity and not get tired of?" 

This question is unbelievably difficult. I'll give you a top 3 though!

"Thick as a Brick," by Jethro Tull

"The Rose Garden," by Edward Scissortongue

"La Dispute," by Yann Tiersen

"Who grinds your gears the most these days in hip hop?"

Who doesn't? Kidding. Kind of.

Drake. Erykah Badu for putting out a mixtape with Drake. Jay-Z for that god awful "child of my destiny/ my destiny child/ child of my destiny that I had with the child from Destiny's Child" lyric off of "Glory". 

This list goes on, but that's a fair sample.

Redemption Song:

El Brenno (Blak Lite District)

On April 1st, I had the pleasure of judging the "Who Wants to Open for Twiztid" contest, at which Blak Lite District were performing. El Brenno was sick that night and asked me if I would consider giving him another review the next time they performed at DV8. On April 21st, Blak Lite District opened for Frank Nitt, and El Brenno got his wish.

To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. Brenno demonstrated incredible growth as an artist and as a performer. The time he is spending in the booth is certainly showing, with crisp pronunciation and sharp accents. 

Additionally, Brenno has grown leaps and bounds in regard to his stage presence. BLD delivered a high-energy set, with seamless teamwork between Brenno and Skitzz - at one point, Brenno even covered an entire verse for Skitzz, and I wuldn't have even noticed had they not told me about it afterwards.

It's going to be a big year for El Brenno, Skitzz and the rest of the Blak Lite District. In life (as in art),  get what you put in - and BLD is putting in work. 

You've achieved much more than redemption, El Brenno. You are impressing the hell out of the Edmonton hip hop music scene. I, for one, am waiting with baited breath to see where your career takes you

Check out Blak Lite District and El Brenno on Facebook, and stay tuned for an interview with Skitzz on the next episode of the PuffPuffPodcast, dropping 5/20.

Hometown Hero 

Komrade (The Brothers Grim)

I'm incredibly privileged to be able to call Komrade my friend in real life, and it's my honor to crown him the very first Hometown Hero here at the Hedonist. 

Born and raised in the 780, Komrade is a fixture in the scene and the community. He's 1/2 of the Brothers Grim and the Baxwar Division Leader, and holds it down as a promoter with his company, Future is Grim. 

As a rapper, Kom delivers grimy vocals with thoughtful lyrics and difficult flows, whcih makes for a gritty sonic experience that leaves listeners wanting more. As a performer, his larger than life stage persona gets the crowd hyped up every single time, and it's been a lot of fun for me as both a fan and a friend to see how many more middle fingers hit the air every single time I see him perform. 

Komrade puts in more time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, stress, and love to the Edmonton hip-hop scene than most people put into...well, anything. This is mirrored through the work he puts in  at his "real job," where he's much more than a library technician; rather, he's a mentor, a helping hand, and a smiling face to everyone he sees, regardless of their position in life. I'd like to extend the most immense gratitude to you,  Kom, for everything you have done and continue to do for everyone in your life. We are all immensely proud of you and can't wait to see what the grim future holds for you professionally and personally!

Komrade tours with the Brothers Grim, Alpha/Omega, and Ad-Lib for the Rebel Hippies Canada Tour kicking off May 5th. Stay tuned for contests and giveaways on hiphophedonist.com!

Rebel Hippies Canada Tour Dates:

5•5 Victoria BC @ Upstairs Nightclub
5•6 Vancouver BC @ Fortune Sound
5•7 Surrey BC @ Peacock Bar & Grill
5•8 *Chief and Greet @ Marc Emery CannibisCulture. Vancouver BC
5•11 *Chief and Greet @ SaporVape Edmonton AB
5•12 Unity SK @ Unity Bar
5•13 Red Deer AB @ Wild Bill’s
5•14 Edmonton AB @ DV8
5•15 North Battleford SK @ D Pool Room
5•16 *Chief and Greet @ Vape Escape. Calgary AB
5•17 Lloydminster SK @ Amigos Lounge
5•18 Saskatoon SK @ Vangellis
5•19 Regina SK @ Artful Dodger
5•20 Brandon MB @ Houstons
5•21 Winnipeg MB
5•23 Thunder Bay ON @ The Westfort
5•24 Timmins ON @ The Working Class
5•26 Montreal QB @ Club Lambi
5•27 Cornwall QB @ Mason
5•28 Quebec City QB @ Shack Resto-bar
5•29 Kingston ON @ Overtime Sportsbar
*Chief and Greet at 710 Smokeshop.
5•30 Oshawa ON @ Jimmy O’Tooles
5•31 London ON @ The Grinning Gator
6•1 Cambridge ON @ Kiwi
6•2 Toronto ON @ Rockpile
6•3 Barrie ON @ The Fox
6•4 Sarnia ON @ Station Music Hall
6•5 Windsor ON @ The Players Club

Make sure to like Komrade, The Brothers Grim, and Future is Grim on Facebook!

ROSES & THORNS

|LIFE IN LONGFORM|

LETTERS FROM THE hedonist

I get asked all the time why I'm doing this. "This," being hiphophedonist.com. 

The simple answer that I give the most frequently is that I firmly believe in the value of the critic within hip hop music. I was born and raised in the MTV generation, and I remember reading Rolling Stone, Spin, Complex, XXL, and et cetera waiting for albums to drop and wondering if I'd agree with the critics. I remember Nardwhaur - I mean, really, if an artist couldn't hold their own and defend their art, he would be there to keep them honest.

Art is objectively subjective. The critic is a necessary part of a system of checks and balances. 

Oscar Wilde addresses this in the preface of The Picture of Dorian Grey:

"The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim. The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass. The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium. No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are true can be proved. No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style. No artist is ever morbid. The artist can express everything. Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art. From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician. From the point of view of feeling, the actor's craft is the type. All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself. We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.All art is quite useless."

Naturally, to truly understand my opinion on the matter, one must also understand how I came to stand where I do. I'll spare the details of my messy life; however, in closing, I'd like to just say a couple of things about hunger.

There was a moment in March right before I moved here to Edmonton where I almost let life consume me. It's easy to do when all the odds are stacked against you, when you're tired and lonely, when the people around you turn out to be snakes in the grass. It is the moment that kills a lot of good people - the moment when the vice or the easy alternative or the abusive situation wins, because in that moment, their hunger is greater than yours. They consume you - or, you self-destruct.

I've been grinding this life thing out on my own for a long time; however, I've been lucky as hell to make a few truly spectacular friends who hold me the fuck down when I can't do it for myself. Thanks to some remarkable humans who love the hell out of me, I got away from Hell on Earth, onto a bus, and into Edmonton. I'm starving, but I don't mean physically hungry.

I'm ravenous in my conquest to live the life of my dreams. The fact of the matter remains that my personal life is still full of messy little fires and disasters that I'm working  my ass off to extinguish and solve. This is long days, late nights, tears of joy, stress laughter, government-funded attempts to find my footing and forge my path. This is the utter refusal to allow anyone or anything  to stand in my way. 

Right now, hiphophedonist.com is but a fledgling website that I've constructed with $70, a lot of time, and a big vision. The Hedonist Monthly and the PuffPuffPodcast are but facets of this diamond in the rough. One day in the (hopefully, not too distant) future, I want to have a record label and mentorship program for young artists in addition to gaining the necessary clout to be able to provide advocacy and support for all persons experiencing marginalization and abuse.

Hip hop has literally saved my life more times than I can count, and it continues to every single day. The Hedonist allows me an outlet for my creative energies, going to events keeps my depression from allowing myself to stay in my apartment for weeks on end, and seeing my hard work pay off is keeping me from allowing myself to place my worth in the hands of others.

So, why am I doing this?

Because I have to.

If you're interested in reading more about my past and my story, I invite you to check out the now-defunct eloquenceisbliss.

For now,

Stay Hungry.

-The Hedonist