CELEBRATE EVERY VICTORY OCT. 08

Celebrate every victory! I used to tell myself that and no matter how much I tried to drill that phrase, slogan or whatever you want to call it in my head, for some reason I just can’t remember to do that. Every time the end of a year gets closer I feel like a man complaining about having no shoes…until I meet a man with no feet. Let me back up a little bit before I lose you. I admit to getting bored with mentioning every show I kill, every great mixtape review, (thank you to Mecca and The Source for the Tale of the Tape feature) and every time I’m doing something newsworthy. I realized it’s not because I don’t appreciate being in this position, it’s because there’s no uniform cause for my existence. Nothing outside of the music is driving me. I mean there is but my focus is always on raps and rhymes and being the best at that.

Someone wrote about my performance at SOBs a few weeks ago opening up for EPMD and State Property and to paraphrase they said I was a pleasure to watch and I am a seasoned vet but for some reason they can’t put their finger on why I’m not larger than I am. Imagine what my mirror has to hear if that writer feels that way. And the truth is there’s nothing wrong with where I am today and there’s no harm in being a little insatiable with your career goals. So the mind of an artist is conflicted with being fortunate to make it through politics and still be deemed relevant enough to get called for shows and be on websites but yet that same artist yearns for more. But this rant isn’t about getting radio spins or a million youtube hits it’s about being about something.

I started this 12 CD thing very strong in January for a multitude of reasons and one of them was to see how the public views me. I already know I’m an underdog, that’s where Cinderella Man comes in, but what my purpose is for picking up a mic I wasn’t really sure. Maybe I’m a prophet like Nas was sitting in that project window talking about what he sees but not changing anything (The Wire). Or maybe I’m a watered down Chuck D. not really fighting the power but reminding folks that it exists (March on Washington). I could possibly be a slim, funny looking LL opening up his emotional side to the ladies on record(Love Jones) or just an emotional person displaying vulnerability any chance he gets (Hotter Than July). I know I’ve always wanted to say something. Not just be hot, not just be nice, not preach you to death but affect your mood, make you feel and relate to me. But what does it take to go from reaching thousands to reaching hundreds of thousands? Who do you blame when you’re better off than last year but it’s not enough? Do you yell at the people that ask you what’s up with the music or why you’re not on radio? Who do you scream on when your teammates come and go simply because you may be taking too long? The answer is you point to yourself. So no matter how much you hear me saying Jay’s name in regards to me getting stuck between labels or I mention the word “politics,” I am the reason for any mishap in my career. And honestly everything that hasn’t killed me has made me stronger.

I was watching VH1’s NWA special and thought about how strong their message was and how powerful their music was. Whether negative or not the shit was moving and even if it was exaggerated the passion came from somewhere. I often think that artists today look at rap as the final mission; the main goal is to get a deal and get money when there was a time when these dudes had things to get out of their system along with getting out of the hood. To know that NWA was still broke and had to sign a contract in order to get 70K each is insane to me. By the time Ice Cube left NWA I would’ve assumed they all were rich. What I mean is they were making an impact and weren’t even seeing the benefits. So sometimes I think about what impact my music is making. Do I really stand for something when people hear me or see me? Or am I this multi-sided individual representing every human that is never truly ONE way.

I get into voting discussions and on one hand I feel like voting for an issue instead of an official makes more sense. On the other hand would I really take the time to go over every issue whether it affects me or not or should I just vote for the guy that looks like me and just might do what I would do if I was in his place? Sure I am pro-choice when it comes to abortion, but if you show me a picture of a 3 month old fetus and a 2 year old toddler and ask me where does life begin and when is it ok to end it could I answer? I probably couldn’t. I swear the death penalty is wrong but if someone was to take the life of my family member I would be in the front row at their execution cheering death on. My point is I don’t know if I or anyone can ever be boxed in. And I don’t know if Stimuli has reached his potential as an artist or a human.

6 more CDs and I’m retiring from this level. There will be a new March on Washington on November 18th I believe thru Traffic records featuring old and new joints. This time I got Torae, Mickey Factz, SunNY, Tré Williams, Jimmy Kendrix, Sam Scarfo, Skyzoo and some more surprises. Never or Now will be available digitally on November 11^th and Vs The World is dropping this week. I know I’m knocking on the door to something very big, I’m just not sure what it is. Thanks to everyone that believed so far. On Election Day expect some digital leaks from the March CD and if you’re feeling any artist out there go buy that LP, download their joints, tell someone. I know we’re in a recession but life doesn’t stop, neither will I…yet.
-The Present
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SHASTIMULI

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