Now that I’ve gotten a bit of a fanbase, there are people out there who have requested some of my videos for download so they can re-post it on their YouTube site. So, I’ve decided to test this idea by allowing some of my videos to be downloadable for FREE!
Below are 7 of my more popular videos along with the download links, including the oh-so-popular “Obama Milli” video and the “Goodbye Bush (Na Na Na)” video!
All I ask is that you do the following when reposting:
Post “A.P.T.” and the song’s title in the title line and in the keywords section
Provide the link to my website – www.APTsongs.WordPress.com – either on the right side of the YouTube page or in an annotation on the video
That you post the video as it was originally made – no alterations, please!
Feel free to send me an e-mail at aptsongs@hotmail.com to let me know you’ve reposted it!
Assuming these videos get a good amount of people downloading and reposting them, I’ll put up some of the other ones later on! (Note: if you have a request for a video not yet available for download, send me a message at aptsongs@hotmail.com!)
This week’s video is for the song, “What Had Happen Was,” produced by ME!
Available on A.P.T.’s “The Great Black Hope” album – Click HERE for download info!
INSIGHT INTO A SONG:
During the time I was coming up with songs for “The Great Black Hope” album, I was still living in Northern VA, working as a server at Chili’s Restaurant. There’s a lot of downtime at these jobs when the server is waiting for a customer, especially near the beginning of a shift, and it was during these times I would either walk around thinking up song lyrics or talking to some of my co-workers.
One afternoon, I walked into the kitchen area to find a fellow server named Joe telling a story about something that had happened at a party the night before.He began the story by saying: “Well, what had happen was…”
I don’t know what it was, but something in the way he said it made me (a) laugh, and (b) think it would be a good idea for a song.I’ve heard that phrase hundreds of times, but this was the first time I heard it said that made me think it would make for a great chorus!
After he said it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.I kept repeating it over and over again in my head – “What had happen was… what had happen was…” – and eventually made it into a full-on chorus that was catchy!
What made it even better is that I already had a beat in mind for the chorus – it was a jazzy-type beat I had already made using a horn sample I’d gotten from one of my brother’s friends favorite musicians.The part where the verses would go were beat-box like while the chorus was a long, drawn out horn, with a drum pattern that would definitely fit the groove of the song!
Once I have a chorus and a beat down for a song, I HAVE to make it into a song.With a title idea like “What Had Happen Was,” I thought about going in a few directions.The first one was to have each verse tell a mini-story of something that goes wrong, and when someone asks me about it, I’d go into the “what had happen was” chorus.The second idea was to have the song be one long story, where each part of the story would coincide with things happening during one day.Something would go wrong in each segment, with the chorus once again being me reiterating the same sentiment.
But, neither of those ideas were fully developed, and I was having a hard time thinking up a story/scenario to write about.So, I marinated on the idea for 3 weeks while I wrote other songs.
Finally – like, one day before I decided to record it, and about 3 days before the album was to be released, I came up with an idea!
Actually, part of the idea came from a conversation I had with my Mom about girls and dating.I think I asked her a question about why some girls don’t mind dating a guy even when, while chasing after his dream, he doesn’t have a lot of money.To which she replied: “Some girls can just sense when a man is about something, and can see that he’ll be successful later on based on how driven he is.”
That got me thinking about the past year, where I had already been successful doing things many of the girls back in college never thought I’d actually do (get a song on radio, be interviewed, make music videos, etc.).Then, it dawned on me that I was able to do all this stuff despite not having any connections to the music industry OR radio people.
THEN, I started thinking about all the people who DO have those types of connections, yet still aren’t (a) famous, or (b) at the very least having a song of theirs played on worldwide radio. And, in thinking about what their response would be if I were to ask them what their excuse for all this was, the only answer I could see them coming up with was…
“What had happen was… what had happen was…”
THAT’s when I knew I had a song idea!
The song is split up into 5 parts, with the first three verses being 8 bars, the breakdown verse being 8 bars, and the last verse being 16 bars.
In the first verse, I talk about how much drive I have, as evident by making videos with a small Kodak instead of being lazy like other MCs.
In the second verse, I mention how I was able to get noticed unlike other MCs who, despite their connections with DJs who promote them, still aren’t that well-known.
In the third verse, I talk about “Obama Milli” (you KNOW I had to) and how, despite my less-than-stellar recording equipment, I was able to do what most MCs who are signed can’t even do: get radio play, ringtones made, and club heads boppin’ to my song, WITHOUT having to do much advertising.
In the breakdown, I go through a litany of excuses non-successful people use, and tell them to get over it because ALL people who become successful go through problems too.
In the fourth verse – the longest of the 5 – I breakdown the REAL reason they’re using excuses, mention the line my Mom told me about “ladies sensing when a man is about something,” give them a verbal jabbing about how much “bread” I have (not completely true yet, but I’m getting closer than they are!),and mentioning to them one more time that, if I could go from broke to not broke, they have no REAL excuse.
The song is JAMMIN’, and one of my favorite ones off my new album, “The Great Black Hope!”
Some Interesting Song Tidbits:
1.Now that I’m getting attention to my videos, I’m beginning to think about branding, i.e. what companies I’d like to sponsor me once I create a new music website.One of them is Kodak – for all my videos I’ve used their camera, and would like them to know about it.That’s why, when I do my credits on my videos now, I mention that the camera I’m using is by Kodak.There’s a line in this song where I say: “I make videos that’s been seen by millions/All from a Kodak.”Now I know why rappers mention products in their song – it’s good promotion for both the company and the artist!
2. The line in the second verse where I say: “How the heck your sorry behind still on the block/When you had DJ so-and-so yellin’ your name…” is in reference to the hundreds of MCs I see on TV who have a well-recognized DJ that’s supporting them (no specific names, ‘cause a LOT of DJs do this) and saying “OMG, they’re the next best thing coming out!”… yet those artists never drop an album because, though they might be a good freestyle MC, they can’t make a good single to save their lives.Meanwhile, I’ve made at LEAST 38, with two of them getting high recognition!
3. I mentioned “Obama Milli” in the 3rd verse for a few reasons: (a) because EVERYBODY knows me for that song; (b) because people always ask me how I recorded it (which is mentioned briefly in this verse); and (c) because there are people making songs in expensive studios who can’t even get their Momma to play it, while my lil’ home recording got played in different countries.Seems like a good thing to mention when talking about my success!
4. My favorite line in the song: “I gets that dough, that cake, that bread…”To hear the rest of the line, play the video!!
INSIGHT INTO A VIDEO SHOOT:
It took me a couple of weeks before I figured out how I wanted the video for this song to look.Then, it dawned on me: since it’s a video motivating people to make their own success, why not do it like one of those “You Can Do It, TOO!” DVDs/programs!
So, that’s what I did: I set it up to look like a motivational DVD, where “successful A.P.T.” is giving a motivational talk to the viewer AND to the unsuccessful musician in the video, “thug A.P.T.”Yes, people, I get to be a thug!I didn’t think I could pull it off, but now that I’ve grown a beard I almost look authentic playing one!
The shots were very easy: I did a take of me sitting at a table for the first verse, in front of a microwave for the second verse, on the couch for the third verse, at a piano keyboard for the fourth verse, at a laid-back rocking chair for the fifth verse, then back to the kitchen table for the outro.
Mixed in with that footage are shots of me in thug pose, reacting to what “successful A.P.T.” is saying.I also wanted to throw in some hilarious footage of “thug A.P.T.” as it pertained to lyrics in the song.Thus: the shot of me looking “bummy” while reading a Playboy magazine; a shot of me recording with a studio mic; and a shot of me knocking on a door “outside, beggin’ to get fed.”
And, to give it that video feel, I added in some grainy effects in post-production!
Overall, this was a fun video shoot! I haven’t done a video with a “real” plot since video #34 (“Can’t Leave Rap Alone”), and I hope you all enjoy it!
Some Interesting Video Shoot Tidbits:
1. Near the end of the video, there is some fancy footwork going on where I shot my feet doing dance moves. They’re pretty impressive, and they’re done by me – no dance doubles necessary!
2. There’s a shot of me banging on the door outside.I had to shoot this twice because, in the first take, you can see my apartment number.Definitely do NOT need people to know where I live!
3. The “doo rag” on “Thug A.P.T.’s” head is actually a black shirt. Gotta work with what I have, man!
4. For the microwave shot, I was able to place a camera in there AND a bowl of oatmeal because the microwave has a shelf in the middle.And yes, that is REAL oatmeal – it’s my favorite snack!(And, for those of you who know me and might be curious to ask: NO, there is no applesauce in there – I had used the last of it on a previous oatmeal bowl L )
5. As you can tell, I’m not actually playing the keyboard in the video.Come to think of it, there aren’t any keyboard or piano sounds in the song.Why the heck did I make that shot?!?
6. The picture of the microphone in the video is the actual one I’ve been using since December 2007.It’s main purpose is actually for talk radio recordings, but it does a decent job of recording my song for now…
7. …speaking of: the studio mic used by “Thug A.P.T.” is a REAL studio mic I own.However, my Compaq Presario isn’t built to handle the amount of power it takes to use, so – until I get a MAC – it’s just sitting around…
8. The Playboy magazine in the video is the ONLY girlie magazine I own.I don’t really like to pay for porn (they get my money, and – aside from good visuals – they give me nothing in return).However, the issue in question had the beautiful Garcelle Beauvais in it (she played Foxy in “The Jamie Foxx Show”), and interviews with Paul Rudd and Chris Tucker, who hadn’t done a magazine interview in YEARS.Wow – I really DID buy it for the article!!
9. Editing this video was a NIGHTMARE. I got up early – 8 AM – so I’d have time to edit it, and it took me almost ALL DAY due to my computer either stalling, not wanting to start, slowing down, or not playing back a part of the video after I had added a clip. I can’t stress this enough people – I. NEED. A. MAC. Send your donations!
That’s all for now – Only 14 more videos left to go! See ya next Sunday!
This week’s video… er, I mean, today’s video… is for the song “Goodbye Bush (Nah Nah Nah),” produced by ME!
INSIGHT INTO A SONG:
First of all: Those of you who normally stop by my website know I tend to post up videos every Sunday. Clearly, as I am posting this video, it is Thursday, meaning it’s not Sunday. Therefore, you may be a bit confused.
Allow me to tell you a fascinating story…
So, Tuesday was Barack Obama’s official swearing in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Which also meant it was the day George W. Bush was finally LEAVING office. I, along with the rest of the nation, couldn’t have been more happy about this moment – both for a Black man entering the White House, and a White man who was LOUSY at his job as “President” finally being given the boot!
After watching all the events unfold on TV, I started surfing the net. A story popped up on Yahoo.com saying that, as Bush was being helicoptered out of the area, there were people in the crowd singing rock band Steam’s classic hit chorus:
I thought that was extremely hilarious! The more I thought about them doing that, though, the more I thought I could make it into a song. So, I went on YouTube to figure out the band that did it, then downloaded the song off Limewire. I was hoping I could find the instrumental somewhere, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Luckily, the opening part of the song has no words being said in it, so I was able to take that part of the song and re-loop it. FYI: people think re-looping a sample is easy. WRONG! I had to cut and paste a small part from another part of the song and paste it near the opening part where there’s drums but no other music so it would sound like a seamless loop, then I had to copy and re-paste the song in the right section over and over again, not to mention having to mix in the various parts where the “Nah nah nah’s” would come in… it took about 2 hours to make that “simple” little beat, people!
Once I had the beat done, I had a freestyle/writing session. I wrote down some lyrics, then freestyled to the beat for a bit, and used bits and pieces from both to create the 2 verses of the song. Then, I recorded them. It took me a few takes to get the feel/flow down of the song since I didn’t want to just rap it all sing-songy. There are lots of stops and pauses in the verses, so I had to record several takes before I got it right.
When it came time to do the talking part during the drum solo, I just freestyled it. I didn’t know what I was going to say – all I know is, I wanted to summarize a few points: (1) That Bush did a bad job, (2) that his administration was no longer in power, and (3) that hope could now be restored.
I mixed and mastered the song as best I could… but somehow, the sound sounded a bit fuzzy. I was going to work on the song some more before releasing it, but I knew that time was of the essence. Now that Barack’s in office and the parties were winding down, I knew it would only be a matter of days before any song released about Bush or Barack would be of less importance/meaning.
So, I figured I’d post it up as is – after all, my videos as of late, while great, hadn’t been getting as many views as I’d like, so I thought not too many people would even hear it. I was going to just post it up with a black screen saying “Free Download, Stop By My Website…
INSIGHT INTO A VIDEO SHOOT:
…but I couldn’t just do that!
I hate when I go to YouTube, and someone has a song up but no “real” video to go with it. I figured that, even if I just posted up a video of me dancing to or miming the song, it would still be better than having the viewer look at nothing the whole time!
I didn’t want to do a big shoot or one that would take a lot of time (I’ll save that for this Sunday’s video), so I decided to keep it simple. I placed my camera on top of a printer box I sat atop a stool in the kitchen next to the table, and proceeded to ACT A FOOL.
Since I didn’t know the words to the song completely – I had only just written and recorded it that day – I decided not to try and mouth words, but use my actions to (hopefully) match the words of the song. Combine that with some out-of-date dance moves (Hammer Time!) and moving arm gestures, and voila! – instant video!
WHY I’M POSTING THIS ON A THURSDAY:
After I was done with the video, I placed it on YouTube. I like for my videos to get views, and the page on this site where the “Obama Milli Remix Page” is, continues to get high views. So, I placed the video/song atop all the pages with “Obama Milli” on it.
Lo and behold: while going out and about doing business today, my roommate/best friend from college keeps calling my phone. I call him once I get home, at which point he tells me that the song has been posted on www.worldstarhiphop.com, a respected Hip-hop site who, during the summer, had also placed up my “Obama Milli” song.
I go to inspect this myself – yep, it was up there – and also look up the YouTube accounts I placed it on, both of which have a stream of viewers for the song (250 at the aptsongs account, over 600 and counting at the aptistheman account). I also looked on the account I have where I have my songs available for FREE download – over 43 downloads and counting.
Not too bad, considering the song’s been up for ONE day!
However, I hadn’t even considered adding this video to my “One-Song-a-Week” collection because (a) the video was REAL simple, and (b) it’s not Sunday.
At the same time, though, that saying of “striking while the iron’s hot” rings true. If people were singing the song I sampled for mine, both during Inauguration AND on the night Obama got elected (thanks for the word on that, B.C.!), and I have a song out now with that same sample in relation to Bush, I HAVE to release it while his name is still in the papers.
And, since I have a video related to all of that, I have to release it now and add it to the collection. Plus, it’s already gotten more views in one day than some of my other videos have in the weeks they’ve been released - must mean I have a hit on my hands again!
Oh yeah – I also went back and re-mixed it so the vocals sound clearer. For purposes of advertising that I have other material available, I also added some promo-stuff for “The Great Black Hope” onto the end of the song so people will think, “Wow, I should really buy this guy’s stuff!” Gotta think of it like a business, people!!
That’s all for now – yes, there will still be a video Sunday! See ya then!
On Sunday, May 25, 2008, I, A.P.T., started this “One-Song-a-Week” website as a means of promoting my music. The objective: to release one song/music video every Sunday for ONE year.
On Sunday, June 21, I released a video for song #5 – a parody of Lil’ Wayne’s popular song, “A Milli,” called “O-bama O-bama.”
And since then, nothing for me has been the same…
Above: Video #5 of 52: My parody of Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli,” “O-bama O-bama” (re-dubbed “Obama Milli” by the public at large. No, really!)
Video for “Obama Milli” Now Available for FREE Download! Click HERE for more info!
6 months later, and this continues to be my most popular song. To say it had an impact in the music world would be an understatement. It has been played globally, both on YouTube and radio stations worldwide. It has been re-posted on a countless number of websites and heard or seen by MILLIONS of people. And – most importantly – it actually changed the minds of people who were John McCain supporters, and convinced them to vote for Barack Obama instead.
Not too bad, considering I recorded the song and video in a small studio apartment in Atlanta, GA, using a talk radio microphone and a Kodak 6.1 Mega-pixel camera meant mostly for taking pictures!
I don’t really like to hype myself up too much. At the same time, though, I recognize that people are still trying to find the song, filming YouTube videos to it, or wondering “Who the heck ARE those A.P.T. guys?!?” (Sorry to disappoint, but there’s only ONE A.P.T., though sometimes I wish I WERE a group so I could have a camera guy!)
So, this page is exclusively set up for those searching for all things “Obama Milli”-related. Below, you’ll find:
A link to the page where I give insights into the creation of the song/video
Links where you can purchase the song via my albums or the single itself
Other Obama-Related songs made by me
Hilarious and/or creative YouTube re-creations of “Obama Milli” by others!
My feelings about others claiming my song as theirs (I’m talking about YOU, Tyga!)
Lastly, people always ask me, “How much money are you making off the song?” After all, it’s been played all around the world, and major artists and radio D.J.s have either tried to make their version or used it for their radio promos.
And the answer is: not much.
Aside from selling copies here at my site and on my albums, I really never set out to make money on the song. My only goal was to figure out a way to get my face in the music game and use all my songs as a means of doing that, THEN get paid. And, while I may not have initially made a huge amount of money off this particular song, it IS starting to pay off (in ways I can’t yet talk about… ooh, suspense and mystery!).
Besides, I made a song that helped convince enough people to vote a Black man into the White House – how many people can say THAT?!?
The link to get “The A.P.T. LP” album(released 8-27-2008) which includes “Obama Milli“ plus other great songs like “Stop Cockblockin’,” “The KKKramer Song” and “Smooth Talker!” (Only 6.99 – Instant Download, works on ALL MP3 players including iPod!): http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=170344
The link to purchase“The Great Black Hope” (released 1-07-2009) which includes “Obama Milli”plus other hot songs like “Hands UP!,” “Nothing More 2 Say” and “Things 4 U (I Thought U Loved Me)!” (Only 6.99 - Instant Download, works on ALL MP3 players including iPods): http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=208737
The song also appears on my 2 mixtapes, both of which are FREE downloads:
*Lyrics to “Obama Milli”: First, here’s a video I made for YouTube with the lyrics -
And here are the lyrics typed out:
Intro:
A.P.T.!
Yeah I’m goin’ in…
Verse 1:
Call him “President,” he’s the next new President here
Senator, from Illinois, yeah
His criteria compared to John McCain just isn’t fair
Cause he’s B-L-A-C, so the eyes are on he
Through his pencil, he write legislation, with the country on his mind
And he don’t coat ish, cause he ain’t got time
Every second, minute, hour, KKK wanna devour
He got guards ready to pop ‘em, with their ch-ch-ch-ch-choppers
Every brother, mother, sister, cousin, grandma wanna hump him
Even got Hilary Clinton on the side ready to jump him
Tell the Clintons “Ha ha ha ha,” couldn’t catch him, couldn’t stop him
They go by the party rules, if you can’t beat him, you can’t top him
Thought she’d smack him, couldn’t pop ‘em, Delegates, couldn’t cop ‘em
Bill Clinton couldn’t help her, too bad she couldn’t drop ‘em, woo!
Man, Obama‘s so Illlll…
Verse 2:
Obama goes here, Obama goes there
Sayin’ “Yes We Can” with wife Michelly, he’s hittin’ that derriere
He travel to Arizona, ready to cause some drama
Hopin’ McCain will comment, “Look at that bastard Obama
He’s too young, he’s too hip, Negros always ‘causin’ problems”
His pale-lookin’ face got him lookin’ like a goblin!
Mac-Cain, Mac-Cain, please don’t vote for Mac-Cain
First day up in office, talkin’ ‘bout some heart pains
Call the ambulance, QUICK! All you hear is sirens
His temper isn’t private – Dang, I hate a mad prick
Don’t you hate a mad prick? Plus, McCain’s an old prick
Barack’s a younger guy, So choose him, he’s the right pick
(Laugh) But if you choose the wrong pick
Your step-son’ll probably end up in Iraq quick!
His health clan plan is so immac’late
So even if your broke, and can’t afford to take a doc trip
You’ll be feelin’ much better – not sick
And, he’s okay, but his wife’s sick
And her back’s thick, And her walk’s slick
She’s a fly chick – I’d hit!
Man, Obama‘s so Illlll…
Verse 3:
He’s makin’ history like X, King and Douglas, and RFK
Obama, he’s that “new black,” true that
Red-necks saaaay “He won’t beat John McCain
He don’t wear a flag pin, his middle name’s Hussein,” but
Who gon’ be dat boy dat doubt dat boy dey call “Obama”
Got Republicans sweatin’ like they up in Saunas (whew!)
Even McCain’s 90-something mama
Be ready to pull his lever every hour (Laugh)
And I’d rather eat a field mouse
Than to see John McCain in the White House
Vote Obama in, and I promise
He won’t turn back into some Uncle Thomas (Aaaaaa!)
No Aunt Jemimah or Southern Fried chicken
Call him “Chief Obama,” or “Mr. Keeps on Tickin”
Man, Pastor Wright’s comments couldn’t stop his tally
Even Oprah Winfrey said she was behind him
People, I say this country’s no hope without him
But he’s gotta go out and relate to everybody
He do what he do, like give his wife a hug and then a fist dap
Gotta do that stuff in public, so the hood’ll know that -
He’s black
Gotta use big words, white people love to hear it
If they hear it, they don’t fear him, they don’t know him, but they feel him
That’s real….
Obama… ‘08… White House, a-ha!
* * * * *
*Other Obama-Related Songs/Videos by Me: I never set out to duplicate the success of “Obama Milli.” However, given that he was a popular topic of conversation last year, I did make a few other Obama-inspired songs/videos. Check them out:
Above: Video #32, “The Next Black President!” For song/video insights, click HERE!
Above: Video #25, “The Obama Mixtape Intro (aka A Time 4 Change)!” For song/video insights, click HERE!
Above: Video #19, “John McCain is a P.I.M.P.!” Yes, it’s a John McCain song, but it was inspired by the fact that many people made songs about Obama but not McCain! For song/video insights, click HERE!
The link above is for video #15, “Shine 4 Obama.” It has a sample of Luther Vandross in it; consequently, YouTube took it down. So, I posted it at this link instead!
* * * * *
*Other “Obama-Milli” Related Videos Made by Fans: Many people re-posted the song on YouTube. Below are a few of my favorite ones that I found to be either hilarious, creative, or a take on my song that I found enjoyable!
Above: Two girls singing along to “O-bama O-bama” in a kitchen.
Above: A girl running around in an “Obama” mask campaigning. And guess what the background music is??
Above: Two kids from Chi-town rocking out in their… I dunno, basement?? – to the “Obama” song!
Above: Two teens at a high school in Las Vegas beat-box the “Obama” song!
Above: A woman from France – FRANCE! – drawing a picture of Obama while my song plays!
Above: At SVHS (I’m assuming that’s a high school), the “Obama” song was played during their homecoming rally!
Above: Jerrell Puttin, of “The Obaminators” dance crew, encouraging others to vote by dancing to my “Obama” song!
Above: DJ Ice chops and screws “O-bama O-bama!”
Above: A video of Obama and pals driving in a car while bumpin’ “Obama Milli.” This was also made into a phone video message that got passed around by many!
Above: Two Girls in an Obama mask and a Joe Biden mask do a verse from “Obama Milli!” It looks so scary!
* * * * *
MY TRUE FEELINGS ABOUT OTHERS CLAIMING MY SONG AS THEIRS
“Obama Milli” was released as video #5, in what is to be a 52-video, year-long series of videos.
Prior to its release, my videos hadn’t gotten a lot of views, except for video #1, another parody I did called “Erectile Dysfunction” (a remake of Snoop Dogg’s “Sexual Seduction”). That video had gotten 12,000 views at the time, so when I released the “Obama” song, I figured it would, at the very least, match up to that song’s popularity.
Clearly, I under-estimated how popular it would actually become.
Unbeknownst to me, while I was working on other videos for weeks 6 and 7, the video was taking off like wild fire on YouTube. And – because I had the song as a download on this site – people started getting the song and playing it. Some of these people turned out to be radio DJs (yay!) who ended up being happy to play it on their station.
And it was all good… until…
I was vacationing back home in VA with my family, and one of my friends from Georgia called and said they heard my “Obama” song on radio… only it wasn’t my voice on the verses. Turns out, one of the local DJs took my track, re-sampled the “Obama Obama” part of the song, and made his own version.
I wouldn’t have cared so much, if it weren’t for the fact that people started messaging me, asking me if I was REALLY the originator of the track, or if this particular DJ had taken it. I had to call my entertainment lawyer – who just happen to know the DJ in question – to get the whole mattered settled with that situation.
THEN, I found out that Tyga – ironically enough, a close friend of Lil’ Wayne – had contacted this guy on YouTube who had remade my “Obama” beat into an instrumental with more of a southern bounce to it, and asked him for the track. According to this person, Tyga “promised” he’d give him AND me a shout-out on the track.
Lo and behold, this never happened.
So, Tyga made his “Obama” song and toured around the country performing it – and getting PAID to do so. I know this because I saw all the videos other people took of him at his various tour stops doing the song.
So, how do I REALLY feel about all this?
It’s a catch-22. I can’t be too mad at it because, after all, I DID remake a song by Lil’ Wayne, so I’d look hypocritical if I got mad at someone else…
…but at the same time, MY remake was an original idea! Everyone else took the “A Milli” beat and did a freestyle talking about having a lot of money; meanwhile, I took the beat, re-made it from scratch, came up with the idea to use “Obama” as the subject, spent 3 days writing it, half-a-day recording it, 1 hour filming the video and 8 hours editing it…
…so, for someone else to get the credit for coming up with the idea really irks me.
The ironic part is, I had people claiming I stole the song from either Tyga or the radio DJ… yet, the vocal sample used in their songs is MY voice!
In the end, though, the song did what I wanted it to do: (a) get Barack elected, and (b) get my song exposed to people who were in a position to help me further along with my career goals. Which means that all those people that took my song and made their own ended up helping promote me more than I could have, and it didn’t cost me anything!
- – - – - – - – - -
This is the end of the “Obama Milli” page. The song has given me a great ride these past 7 months, and I hope its allowed other people to search out my other videos as well. After all, there ARE many other videos I’ve made since then, and I highly recommend you check them out!
AVAILABLE ON A.P.T.’S “THE GREAT BLACK HOPE” ALBUM! Click HERE for download info!
INSIGHT INTO A SONG:
This is one of the few times where I don’t have too much insight for the song!
Truthfully, I wrote this song so long ago, I forget how I came up with it, if I had the words or the beat first, or what year I wrote it in (except for knowing that I wrote it sometime in college). Odd, ain’t it?
All I know is, I’ve been writing songs in notebooks and journals for as long as I can remember, and this song was the first entry in one of those journals. I wanted to write a “you broke my heart” song, and I wanted it to be a rock song. In fact, I think the original beat I had in mind for this song had guitars in it.
However, I made this beat that just happened to go with the words of the song, and when I fused them together the song still rocked, despite the beat not having any guitars. The beat itself is a sample of ONE song, chopped up and repackaged into the beat for this song. I can’t reveal the source of my sample, except to say the “musicians” I sampled it from are the same ones I sampled for “Hooptie” and ”I’m Trying 2 Get AiDS Tonight.”
This is one of those songs where I get to yell my behind off. I don’t usually have the facilities to do that, but I was staying with my Mom 2 weeks ago while waiting for my moving day. When she and the other housemates had all left the house, I had ample time to scream inside the house as loud as necessary for this song to be recorded!
After I laid down the vocals, I added some cool effects to my voice to give it the feeling of me being a rocker on the mic, and added some reverb to… well, just about everything. It gives the effect of echoing.
Sidebar: my computer, a P.C., isn’t built to handle all the projects I try to throw at it. Therefore, my computer started overloading as a result of adding all these effects at once to my song. I had to transfer out each layer of track, then open a new file and re-load them in so the effects wouldn’t overtake my computer.
I. NEED. A. MAC!
Some Interesting Song Tidbits:
1. This song isn’t about anybody in particular – if anything, it’s probably a culmination of all the girls I got rejected by during my formative/teen/college years.
2. The second verse of this song is the exact same as I wrote it whenever it was I wrote it. However, the first verse had to be revamped a bit because I originally wrote it to be longer, and I forgot how the flow of the other parts of the verse was supposed to go.
3. In case you’re curious: YES, that is me screaming like a rocker on the chorus. And YES, that is me singing the “Things 4 U” part – I sang in a falsetto, changed the pitch, and added echoing to it. My production skills are on the rise, people!
INSIGHT INTO A VIDEO SHOOT:
My ex-coworker Unique, who is also a friend of mine via Facebook, posted this video on her wall:
Above: A guy freaks out on a blind date show. Hilarious!
I saw this video, and instanly thought it would be a good video idea for “Things 4 U (I Thought U Loved Me).” Plus, I knew it would be an easy video to edit – all I had to do was sit on a stool, film myself doing the song, add a few talking parts and voila – instant video!
So… that’s what I did. I filmed for 15 minutes straight and went through the song 3 times so I could have different shots to use (including one where I use a microphone) and so the camera angle would be the same for all the shots.
While filming the video, I thought it would be cool if I attached it to an actual dating show that people may have seen. Then, I remembered that Mad TV used to do this skit called “Lowered Expectations,” where people who were the absolute worst candidates for dating would put up video ads for themselves. Since my song has the “I’m mad at my ex” vibe, I thought it would be funny if someone were to use it on a video dating ad.
And that’s pretty much it! Hey, I never said all these insight things would be long!
Some Interesting Video Shoot Tidbits:
1. Um.. hmm. Can’t think of anything real interesting. Like I said, it was a pretty straight-forward shoot!
2. Editing time for this was about 3 hours, plus the extra time I spent dilly-dallying around the apartment all day!
That’s all for now – only 16 more videos left to go! See ya next Sunday!
Just saw the movie. Powerful, man, powerful. Great acting, great vibe… great pair of knockers courtesy of the chick who played Lil’ Kim… it was ALL good!
Except… well…
This movie made me think about the price of fame. For all of Biggie’s success, the drama he went through leading up to (and causing) his death didn’t seem enjoyable. In fact, it seemed downright depressing.
But I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I started this site to get my music out there, and I thought I wanted to perform in front of others, meet other music stars…
Now that I live in California, though, all that stuff seems (a) fake, and (b) like it’s not all that fun.
Truly, it is a JOB, people. And being a performer in the music biz is one of the hardest jobs to have – you work long hours for little pay (in relation to how much the record company makes); you have to be “on” for the public at all times; and the pay-off from it can take YEARS.
Furthermore, the field of competition is RIDICULOUSLY over-populated. Just looking in the paper, there were hundreds of acts performing this weekend that I’ve NEVER heard of, in every genre. And that’s just in L.A.! I think back to being in Atlanta and D.C., and all the performers those cities had that I’d never heard of.
Not to mention the amount of pressure and fakeness one has to deal with if they DO get on. I made one song that blew up (out of hundreds I’ve either written or recorded) and, while it didn’t make me completely famous, I was already feeling pressure from people wanting me to do certain types of songs, or to “not sell out” (whatever that means); not to mention the number of people I used to know who had fallen out of contact with me (even when I tried keeping in contact with them) that suddenly wanted to say “hi” just to “see how I was doing” and “congratulate me on my success.”
That may not seem like it’s dis-genuine – “they really might just be trying to see how you’re doing” – but really, why now? I have friends that have been doing that for years, WAY before I even imagined having a song on radio.
So, given all the stuff I just typed, does this mean I’m giving up doing music? That I’m saying “screw it” to anymore songs or videos?
….naaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
What it DOES mean, though, is that I find it easier to feel no pressure and be less likely to deal with fake people, or drama, or any of that other stuff, by keeping it on the low. I like making music for fun and/or my own amusement, and if other people happen to like it, great!
However, I don’t feel the need anymore to make this my full-time career. Part of it may have to do with the fact that I have other things in the works that will help make me money, while another part of it may be that I enjoy my privacy, and would much rather work behind the scenes writing songs for other artists and producing beats. Heck, I’ve made 2 albums where the beats were mostly made by me, so I know I have the talent for it, and I’m in the right state to make connections so I can get them heard and sold, so why not?
Bottom line: I don’t need the troubles that “fame” can bring. If I were to become famous, I’d prefer it to be on a lower level where I could still walk outside and not get mobbed. Besides, I’m really just looking to make a HUGE amount of cash so I can travel anyway – I don’t need to be on stage to make that happen, especially if I’m making enough money behind the scenes to afford it!
That’s all for now. I have a video to go make – see y’all tomorrow!
People are often amazed that I have so much drive, energy, and focus to do all the various projects that I do. I had two different phone conversations yesterday with a close friend and a family member of mine, and they both expressed being inspired by my ability to do what I wanted to do and go for my dream, etc.
But, to be honest with you, it’s really not that amazing to me.
The reason I do all these things is two-fold: (a) because I don’t like to spend money on dumb stuff, which means I stay home a lot, and (b) because I get BORED easily. And when I get bored, I think of things to do so I won’t be bored.
Take, for example, this website. This whole “One-Song-a-Week” thing came about because I was in Atlanta, and when I wasn’t working, I was at my apartment, bored, with no one to hang out with or talk to. So, I said: “As long as I’m here, I might as well figure out a way to promote my music.” BAM! Now I make videos once a week so I’ll have something to do while promoting my songs to the mass public.
Another example: I wrote a book. Actually, I’ve written a book and am working on the next one as we speak. How did I find time to write 2 books?
Well, for the first one, I was staying at home during summer break from school and – when I wasn’t visiting friends or playing one of my video games - I was BORED. So, during my bored times, I’d type up chapters for a book. 1 month later, I had a first draft for a book done. As for the second book, it started as a blog site, and now – some 8 months later – I have enough material for another book.
So, you see, people, my various projects and successes aren’t usually the result of some grandioso plan. They’re usually just the result of me going: “I’m BORED – as long as I have some down time, what could I create that might get me some money so I can afford to do stuff that won’t have me feeling so bored?!?”
With all that said: you’re probably wondering what any of that has to do with the title of this blog?
I moved to the west coast, but right now my body is still on east coast time. This means I fall asleep at around 9:30 PM Pacific Standard Time (12:30 AM EST) and wake up around 5:00 AM PST (8:00 AM EST). The sun rises over here at 6:45 AM, and doesn’t set until 5:30 PM. This means that, for almost 12 hours of the day, I have to find stuff to do.
I’m already making videos and new songs, but I’ve also decided to make an instrumental/beat a day. Why, you ask? If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last year, it’s that you (a) never know who’s watching you, and (b) never know when an opportunity may come along for something big. In either case, I feel it’s a good idea to always be prepared.
I’m in California, the land of music, TV, film, theatre, and other art forms – most of which usually incorporate songs into their projects. As of right now, I’ve already got at least 20 instrumentals that could be used for any one of those things; however, I figure the more beats I make, the more I’ll be able to choose from if someone comes along and says, “Hey, do you have any beats I could use for [insert name of big-paying project]?”
And – since I don’t really do much during the day right now except stay in the apartment or walk around the neighborhood – I get bored very easily. So, while I’m bored, why not make ONE beat a day and build up a catalogue of music to shop around to others?
And again, this isn’t necessarily because I’m such a genius or am all that smart. I mean, I’m smart, but being successful isn’t about being the smartest person in the room – it’s about being the most READY person in the room when an opportunity arises. I’m not doing anything that someone else couldn’t do – even YOU!
Another week, another video in the can. Now that all my east coast videos are done, I can start making videos here in California!
So far, I’ve posted 35 videos. After the explosion that was the “O-bama Milli” song, you would think I’d have a bunch of people watching my videos each week, right? Well, not so much. Despite the aforementioned song’s popularity, most of my videos after that have been lucky to get even 1,000 viewers. I’ve had some loyal A.P.T. followers comment under some of them, asking questions like, “Why aren’t you signed yet?” or “Why don’t you have more viewers?”
I’m sure another question they’re probably asking themselves is whether or not I get frustrated by my low number of views, or if I still have the drive to even do these videos. And the answer to those two questions is…
(1) No, and (2) Abso-frikkin-lutely yes.
When I started this whole experiment, there was no “O-bama Milli” out. There was very little recognition of my name, outside of people I knew at Hampton University. And there was definitely no guarantee that any of this would work.
However, I’ve always believed that if you prepare for things as though nobody is watching, you’ll already be ready to move forward once opportunity comes.
For example: prior to “O-bama Milli,” I was already recording songs. Consequently, when people started asking about mixtapes and/or albums from me, I already had material I could use for those projects. Had I decided to suddenly start recording things once the song took off, I would have put out wack material because I would have been doing it for the notoriety vs. having it already done out of passion for the material.
The same goes with my videos. Just because I may not have a lot of viewers NOW, doesn’t mean they aren’t having an impact. It’s not about how many people see the videos; it’s about whether or not the RIGHT people see my videos. If, out of 1,000 viewers, one of them just happens to be the C.E.O. of a record company, or someone who plans stage shows, and they end up contacting me to work with me as a result, I could care LESS about if anyone else sees it.
There’s an old saying that goes: “90% of success is showing up.” But – and here’s the important part – you have to show up PREPARED. If an actor shows up to an audition on time, but hasn’t read the script, it will be harder for them to get the part. Similarly, if I show up to an open mic or record company meeting and have no direction, no product, or nothing that shows why someone should take a chance on me, I’ll get passed over for someone who may have less talent, but is 3 times more prepared.
Besides, I’m already starting to make some moves – not necessarily in the music world, but for now it’s top-secret – so it’s not like the videos haven’t already had a positive impact on my life.
Speaking of videos: I already have the concept and song ready for this week’s video. It’s for one of the more rock-ish songs off “The Great Black Hope” album, and it’s going to be high-energy, angry, and… well, you’ll have to see it to believe it!
This week’s video is for the song “Nothing More 2 Say,” produced by ME!
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON A.P.T.’S “THE GREAT BLACK HOPE” ALBUM! Only 6.995.99 This week only (January 7-January 14) Click HERE for download info!
INSIGHT INTO A SONG:
Okay… so, this is one of the few songs where I can’t talk completely about how I came up with it. Due to certain legalities/deals I made in my personal life with the person that resulted in me having the thoughts to come up with at least half of the idea for this song (note: does not mean they helped write it), I can only give so many details about it without breaking our agreement.
What I CAN say is this: in December, I took up a job working at Chili’s Restaurant to earn some extra money because, at the time, I was broke, and still needed to be able to pay my next month’s rent on time. After things happened where I wasn’t so financially strapped, I continued to work there because it was either do that, or stay at home all day with room mates that I hated.
I had been working on songs for “The Great Black Hope” album, and one of the beats I made was initially a throw-away beat. It didn’t have a whole lot of stuff mixed into the beat – just a simple guitar riff, a loud echoing clap and an electric guitar riff for the chorus. The beat didn’t even have any drums! I liked the beat, but I didn’t think I’d be able to use it for a song without adding more instruments to it.
Then, one day, while I was at Chili’s, I started thinking of a random chorus – “I get money all daaaay! (something, something) I got nothing more to say, heeeeeeey!” – and I couldn’t stop singing it. Then, rather than be repetitive, I thought of another chorus – “I get honeys all daaaaay! (something, something) I got nothing more to say, heeeeeey!” – and I couldn’t stop singing it again!
Once I have a chorus idea for a song, it’s only a matter of time before I can get a whole song down around that idea. And, as luck would have it, that little beat I thought I wouldn’t be able to use turned out to be the PERFECT beat to use for the song!
A few days later, I was still singing the chorus – always a good sign – so I sat down and got to thinking about words for the actual song. I decided to start off the first part of the song talking about the “money” aspect of my life (i.e. getting money, stacking up paper via various projects, etc.). The second part talks about girls who are trying to contact or throw themselves at me ever since they heard my song on the radio (which, sadly, is true. Couldn’t they have just wanted to be around me back when I was me sans the song?).
Once I wrote the words, I had to go back and change parts of the chorus. The part where I typed (something, something) earlier had to have something catchy. After going a few ways, I settled for “What else, homey?” and “What else, playa?” to fill in those blanks.
I recorded the song, and then I mixed it by adding some reverb in, tripling up the verses and the chorus, and changing the pitch levels of each layer so that there’d be a sense of rock personality in the song. Once it was finished, I took a listen, and KNEW I had a hit on my hands!
Some Interesting Song Tidbits:
1. At the beginning, I ad libbed the line, “I’m getting paid, AND I’m getting laid.” I was going to change it later to “I’m getting monies, AND I’m getting honeys,” mostly because I don’t really talk about getting action too much in my songs. Oh well!
2. I don’t know if it’s audible, but after the part where I say “I needed that doe, needed that benz/Had to buy some brand new Tims” I say the word “sike!” I mention the aforementioned items because that’s how most artists would have spent there money, whereas I made a wise investment into my future success instead.
3. The part about girls in this song is true. After the “O-bama Milli” song started playing on radio, I had girls from college who wouldn’t date me OR message me after we graduated start sending me congratulatory messages and flirty comments. Makes for good song material, but come on!
4. I was going to add a talking part to the end of the song, but I figured since the song is called “Nothing More 2 Say,” it would have been dumb to say anything beyond me screaming my initials near the end of the song.
5. My favorite line in the song: “…or you can keep/Doing it for fun, while I keep collectin’ funds.” Woo!
INSIGHT INTO A VIDEO SHOOT:
This video was the last video I shot while in the D.C. area.
For those of you who don’t know the story of why I moved: our landlord wasn’t using our money to pay the mortgage on the townhouse, and the house got sold in foreclosure. Per the law, we were able to stay there during the eviction proceedings… but then, our jerk of a landlord had the electricity cut off!
Luckily, my friend _____ (name withheld by request) allowed me to stay at her place for 2-1/2 days (New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and half of the next day). On the last day there, she helped me direct last week’s video, “Can’t Leave Rap Alone.” I was only planning to film the one video, but as I was playing her a couple of my new songs for the album she suggested an idea for this song.
The idea seemed simple enough – do the song while a female’s hands and arms (hers) was coming out from behind me and rubbed on my chest. Well, that was definitely something I could get down with, so we tried it in front of a mirror, and it looked freaky, but worked for the second part of the song where I’m talking about women wanting to jump me.
The parts of the video where you see me in her room was shot in front of a mirror, with the camera angled so you couldn’t see it. In retrospect, I could have just had the camera directly in front of the mirror facing the opposite way so it would look like I was looking right into the mirror, but I wanted the sides of the mirror to show as well. I did the first part of the song while _____ lied on her bed.
Once the time came for her part, she took off her shirt – another plus for me – and hugged as close to me as she could so her boobs wouldn’t show in the camera shot. (In case you’re wondering, yes, there is footage from the video that you people will NEVER see ) We did three takes just in case I needed to do any editing out of boobs later (which I did), and then she went back to typing on her laptop while I finished filming the rest of me acting weird in front of a mirror.
A week passed before I finished up the video. Actually, I was staying at my mom’s friend’s house and had the room upstairs to myself. Once I finished packing up all my stuff for my move to California – at 2 in the morning – I decided there was enough time for me to shoot the video. Plus, it helped that the room I was staying in belonged to a 10-year old who had Guitar Hero – it meant I could use the guitar controller as my rock-out instrument!
I shot two versions of me in one take: one with me playing the guitar, and one with me singing into my microphone (which wasn’t plugged up to anything). I made sure to give the feeling of a rock edge, playing my heart out of the fake guitar and doing the up-and-down head thing as if I had long hair (similar to the hair bands of the 1980s. Geez, I’m getting old!).
Once I loaded all the footage onto my computer, I added different effects to each part played in the video. For “Mirror Me,” I used Sepia Tones and sharpened the image; for “Microphone Me,” I brightened up the darkness of the attic room and added watercolor; and for “Guitar Me,” I added a bunch of effects, most of which I can’t remember!
All in all, a good video, and one that really goes with the mood of the song!
Some Interesting Video Tidbits:
1. I thought I had the camera at a straight angle, but was wrong. Consequently, there were a LOT of “side boob” shots courtesy of _____ that I had to edit out.
2. At the end of the video, I fake like I smash the guitar. I didn’t actually break it, people!
3. In the attic, there was a lot of stuff on the floor, and I’m surprised I didn’t step on anything!
4. Yes, those are REAL girl underwear I’m holding up near the end of the video. That was HER idea, but I’m glad she thought of it!
5. Editing time for the video: I have no idea. Now that I’m in California, the hardest part was trying not to go outside all day! I’ll have to start editing these videos early in the week!
That’s all for now! Only 17 more videos left to go – see ya next Sunday!
Well, I finally did it. After years and years of talking about it, of dreaming ab0ut it, and of wanting to do it, I finally did it.
I. Am. Living. In. California.
My winter is already 3 times better, just for the fact that the weather is warm most of the day (though, since it IS winter, it’s still cold at night) and the sun is bright. The place I live is in a nice area, my roommate is nice, and my apartment is a nice size. My room is even bigger than the room I had at the town house I was staying at in D.C.
It feels good to be able to do something that I’ve always said I wanted to do. Anyone who thinks it’s not possible to actually go through with a dream or goal is living in la-la land. At least as far as I’m concerned. I never understood why someone would doubt themselves – if anything, a person should be their own cheerleader, yet they usually end up being their biggest obstacle towards success.
Anyway… so, yeah. I’m in California, and I couldn’t be happier. My next goal: to see “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” in studio, LIVE. That’s been a dream of mine for even longer than wanting to move out here, and now I live in the same city where the show is taped. Yay!
Of course, that will be on Monday. As for this week’s video, I filmed it while in Virginia, and will be my last video from out there. It’s for one of the songs off “The Great Black Hope” album, and it’s jammin’, man!
That’s all for now! By the way, if you haven’t gotten it yet, definitely get “The Great Black Hope” album. It’s really good, and I put a lot of effort into it so you’d enjoy it.
) We did three takes just in case I needed to do any editing out of boobs later (which I did), and then she went back to typing on her laptop while I finished filming the rest of me acting weird in front of a mirror.
