Ventilation

All MC's are extroverts by nature, regardless of the personal missions that lead us to grab the microphone and stand in front of others. At the heart of it all, we just genuinely want to be seen and heard. I overstand my personal mission as a cumulation of my family heritage: Preachers, Civil Rights Activists, Engineers, Community Developers... and I'm the first of direct lineage to be born of the Hip Hop Era. It took some time, but I learned to retroactively connect the dots, as late-great Steve Jobs suggested.

I discovered The Spark inside of me in 8th Grade, reciting the now-classic rhymes of that day and studying The Best of Gil Scott-Heron cassette tape my Father used to ride out to. I played with ideas and fed my mind with Music Industry books (at the behest of My Infamous Mentor). After getting booted from the 1st group I assembled due to "Irreconcilable Differences", the spark had become a small campfire and Ted Roe was christened in my Senior year of High School. There was no Wikipedia at the time, so the process by which I discovered the person and the kindred parallels was truly provided by The Most High. If anything, I have been evolving into the moniker as countless hours pass into days, then weeks, then months, and now 9 long years of seeming inactivity.

In those years, I've wanted nothing more than to make the crowd unanimously respond to my call. Instead: I've loved women, lost the men who preceded and guided me, and completed paths  of educating and medicating myself and others. However, the mission was never sacrificed for life's roller-coaster. Exploiting the opportunities that were provided, I learned about the music industry from the counter of a independent record store, carrying crates and holding mics for my city's best DJs, and then from the boards and back room of a forgotten college radio station. Some time during my second trip to SxSW, surrounded by people I humbly considered career colleagues, I could feel I was in the right place.

After obtaining my Bachelor's  Degree, I realized that my job in Debt Collections was a deviation from the path. Of course, it was necessary to pay rent, but the random thoughts and rhymes I was jotting took on a whole new significance. In our system of Capitalistic Wage Slavery, I understood the the forest fire I'd been feeding with education, love and life experience was Harriet Tubman waiting to manifest herself for me and my loved ones. Ever since that day, I've been trying to find the most efficient way to funnel flammables into Ground Zero.

I wrote this because that is how it all started: writing on my father's typewriter, even predating a working literate vocabulary. I've tried to suppress these thoughts for over a year, and they've only snowballed. They usually bubbled to the top of the cauldron in times of deep depression and frustration. In response, I manned up and covered the pot. First, because bubbling over always causes a mess. Second, I didn't want those hopefuls without recipes to see what I was cooking.

Nonetheless, fire needs oxygen. Art is created to be expressed. I understand that my "bushel-hidden" days are close to behind me. #Grams is 3 features and a mix down away from being on the market. I thank everyone who've given hate, misdirection, spurn, and scorn to the process. Keep blowing on the greased flame.

"This little light of mine..."

The Championship Squad.

Deion Sanders is my favorite football player of all time, hands down. I honestly probably took it for granted. He played for my favorite baseball team, and whatever football team he was on became my favorite. Dallas stuck, since it's the family's team as well. In that era, Primetime was prime example that one player can come from a underestimated position, and have a large impact on the team's ability to win. He was the swing vote between 1994 & 1995's Super Bowl victories.

The musing idea for this piece came as I was playing NBA 2K11. I noticed that they had swapped the "Legends All-Star" squads for the various teams that battled with/against His Airness. A lot of games have had classic teams for current use. Each squad has unique strengths and weaknesses, but the weaknesses went unexploited in their time.

In forming my game plan, I have worked meticulously on exposing any weaknesses, but my heart is such that I want to make others believe, much like His Airness could do. From the outside looking in, it's something that happens with fluidity. However, when team chemistry falters, the collapse (or implosion) is obvious to all. This is where Human Resources come in.

The Front Office is equally responsible for attracting hungry, goal-oriented talent. Many 2nd place teams were more talented, but failed to perceive and prioritize the key objectives needed to secure victory. The General Manager must sniff out the players with morale issues, ego problems, selfish motives and a fear of greatness. Team Chemistry can only exist once everyone understands the common objective is complete victory of the whole.

The team is the corporate entity that carries the  communal goals of the organization with it. Jordan Farmar is (one of a few) D-League talent(s) with a Championship ring. Allen Iverson is (one of many) remarkable talent(s) without one.

"All these Free Agents..." - Young Jeezy

Woman

Although I could never bring myself to say I know nothing of women, they do remain somewhat of a mystery to me. Both as a collective ideal and on a case by case situation. I have decided that's what makes pursuit compelling beyond physical pleasure.

The stratagem of coyness. Souls on a mission to destroy and rebuild; receive and multiply, educate and edify. The misguided become cheese in the mousetrap of life. Rats after the biggest score they can find from someone else's kitchen. They won't let you have a roach in your cabinet, or a moment's peace.

The first call of manhood is self-control. The challenge is to maintain presence of mind. Selection is key. Discretion is necessary. The options are statistical fact.

As poverty is a mind state, such is royalty. Nobility is a call to personal responsibility. Queendom is a divine gift, talent and skill.

Multi-Tasking.

The Best Rapper Alive is Rick Ross.

Updates on #Grams, SwampUp.com and Merch coming soon.

Chairman Roe

A Moment of Clarity.

I'd like to say I've made all the mistakes I'm gonna make in my first year alone. I have a little experience, wisdom, focus and a new determination. I have a blueprint. I have a team. I have a conceivable product. I have legal issues. Regardless of all else, I have made strides. That's what brings peace.

Peace. Sometimes we neglect the quiet moments, because we may actually get answers for why our dreams are so distant, if existent. Best not to run. A dance with your own mind can be rewarding: enter the inner sactum and wrestle with fear. Due to your weakness, there will always be a new opponent. Mind your attitude and keep wise initiative at the front. Independence is the goal, but interdependence is our strength.

Respect.

"They're never gonna respect us if we don't respect ourselves." - Mike Flamez

The Illuminati

Imagine my amusement when I discovered there was a group of Super Heroes emulating the ideal that many people fear. The idea that a group of civilization’s most elite individuals are conspiring to keep us all in line. Even more intriguing, is that they appear to be doing this for the good of the masses. It is echoed throughout society: Gangland, Mafias, Consortium, Religious Sects, Fraternal Organization, Secret Societies.

Secret Societies: Oxymoron. If more than one person knows, it’s not a secret.

That doesn’t detract from the obvious truth that these cliques have affected human society greatly, like the oil in the gulf. However, to say there is a leaky, over driven rig as a source is ridiculous. Or is it? However, anyone who understands real wealth knows, Jay-Z and KanYe West aren’t the heads of it. Well, If there’s a black chapter...? It’s a compelling argument, but I personally can’t call it because I don’t care. It does not affect my life in the slightest.

I believe it’s all intertwined deeper than we could ever understand, even within ourselves. Truth will always come to the light and at the end there are only two sides with many aspects: increase and decrease, edification and destruction, freedom and oppression. Positivity is the way.

...And that’s how I feel about that.

Dealing Weight

Apparently, in the actuality of everyday life, I’ve expanded my knowledge and honed my focus, but neglected to practice and develop my craft. I can’t claim complete failure. I have a target market and a brand for them to trust. I have built a reliable network to power the brand. I’ve even designed methods of distribution and merchandise. What’s more important, I have a staff that is autonomous and building momentum.

It is necessary to appreciate the current reality for what it is, because it will change, and subsequently, the weight of responsibility will grow. While anxiety can provide both dreams of paradise and nightmares of paranoia, there is no better feeling than facing the blinding glory of reality head on. The manifestation is a journey, and the process is it's own reward. If you are blessed enough to have a reliable team, then delegation is crucial to organized operation.