Tanya in Toronto with the Roots

photo by chris lindhurst

so i just kinda glossed over the fact that we did toronto with the roots huh? well between traveling, soundchecking, performing and running all over the place blogging it out kinda flew right by me. in a nutshell the shit was DOPE... severly ill. as you can gleen from the photos the house was PACKED and the bug shit was that they was rockin with us the whole way. even copped some merch to boot. it was definitely a good time man and i think we showed and proved...

we gotta get back up there tho for real. not only for the new nad old fans but to holler at jesse, l'oquenz, zaki, mensa, shadi, safia, claudine, nehal, shit... the whole crew man. we get held the fuck DOWN in the t.dot and its definitely appreciated. so lets link some shit up ppls... PLEASE

at anyrate im back in nyc right now and im STARVING for food and a drink. boston was dope and the good people at society original clothing and my man nu over at puma dropped by and showed BIG love. we rocked the house and hopefully ill have some pics of that soon. my mic kept shorting out but i handled it like a pro, shit at one point during the last song the whole sound rig gave out, speakers and all. what did i do? shouted it acapella at the crowd til the music came back. and didnt even lose my voice... shit was fun

keepin it all the way trill with yall man being on tour is a very demanding thing. especially when you are doing as much as we do just to stay afloat but to anybody that has opened up their doors for us to sleep, wallets for us to eat, or mouths to spread the word or sing along we dont forget. it means alot and honestly you are as crucial to this thing we got goin. id love to keep elaborating but ill save the emo bloggin for when im not supposed to be getting dressed and getting out the house.

enjoy your weekends ppl...

ps...

VON PEA STOP SPAMMING MY COMMENTS SON

ill be back lol

the rain has yet to stop and i think im sick

my patented black thought impression

after 8 hours of driving in the dark with rain pounding down on the windshield me and von have landed safely in cincinnati. i think i may have stressed/worried myself sick, seriously. i feel pretty bad right now, i think its a sinus infection but what do i know.

yesterday turned out to be a monster of a day. coordinating that TM is a Rap Group mixtape was alot of work but apparently it paid off . we are at 3600 downloads and counting in a little over 24hrs. not bad at all eh?

the tour starts tomorrow and i think just about all the pieces are in place, i even get to do my patented black thought impersonation in toronto where we open for the roots. aka JESSE @ CYBERKRIB IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE EMAIL ME WE NEED TO TALK ASAP! you too henri... lol

imma go take a vitamin, pick up the rental car and call these venues...

but yo before i go, this niggas flo-rida's hairline son.. :/ i think thats what is happening to me. i dont want a flo-rida hairline. :( totally unrelated, im SO happy missy elliott is coming back.. yay!

Fly Guys (feat Jawaad) & Tanya Morgan (feat a few ppl)

Kay & Donwill are The Fly Guys

i think the more i talk about all of the projects that i am working on the more confused i make you guys. its in my nature to pick things up and put them down, im a gemini. while im not going to list all of the groups/projects that are in the works i think this song does deserve some backstory.

Me and kay have been working together since sometime around 2004. We did a few jams together and while they would remain unreleased an undeniable chemistry was there. We forged a friendship around 2005 and decided to work on a group project last year. We probably wont formally get to work until Tanya Morgan is done campaigning.

Kay & Donwill - Winter in America featuring Jawaad
Kay & Donwill - Fly Guys with Glasses

and incase you havent noticed yet:

good lookin out scott man, for REAL...

The Tanya Morgan is a Rap Group mixtape drops on March 18th and the tour starts on March 2oth. If you are wondering if we are going to stop in your city check the myspace page. The tourdates are listed very visibly. If you are wondering why i havent been in the blog as much its because I have a VERY heavy hand in setting up all of the above.

Ill be back one day, cbox and all... just not today

Tanya Morgan - Four Men (featuring Kay)
Tanya Morgan - Shake it Off (featuring Supastition & Torae)
Tanya Morgan - You Should Know (featuring Naledge)

(oh shit... and shout out to eskay, shake & mekka, and frankie for the look. it is much appreciated)

Tanya Morgan @ BoomBox Radio

click the picture to listen

well it wasn't really tanya morgan, more like von and don on behalf of tanya morgan. regardless we showed up and played like 3 new joints off the mixtape (EXCLUSIVE-SIVE-SIVE (c) EVR) we also freestyled a bit which was fun(ny) as hell...

if you aint doing nothing else give it a shot... tune in and check it out.

UPDATE:
SHAREBEE LINK

TRACKLIST:
36 minute mark - segment begins (cot damn i talk fast)
41 minute mark - how low/von sees
47 minute mark - talk segment 2
55 minute mark - shake it off (ft torae & kam moye)
1 hour mark - talk segment 3
1 hour 15 minute mark - bout to be some/golden
1 hour 22 minute mark - the infamous 'freestyle' portion

LEAK!

muhahahah....

(ill probably be asked to take this down lol)

the only time im in xxl's when im... (c) von pea

congrats homie!

way back in 05 when TM got their slot in XXL's show and prove section we came to nyc for the photoshoot and slid thru the magazine's offices to meet the staff and figure out how it was all gonna go down. the homie scott (aka mr suburban sprawl cover artist :) introduced us to king's EIC datwon and when we walked into his office he was coincidentally bumping the sunset ep and couldnt stop talkin about how fresh it was. i still remember that shit like yesterday for real. when a tastemaker says they like your work, you dont forget that shit, ever.

fast forward to a feb 2008 and now in addition to his post at King he has assumed the same role at XXL... HUGE! and even crazier is this quote from a press release that came across my email.

Thomas, 32, told Journal-isms on Thursday one of his priorities would be to connect the magazine more to music on the Internet, since that is where more of his readers are finding it. "You can give them a basis for choosing what is quality," he said. "There's so much going on in hip-hop that isn't being reported," he said, mentioning such artists as Tanya Morgan.

to read the full article click here and scroll down a bit

we major!?! come on homie we major....

no but seriously, im not gonna speculate on what that means for the future but i will definitely do my part to ensure that XXL has some great music and an exciting campaign to cover if they so choose to. the fact that datwon has remained accessible, true to form and still remembers who we are is very humbling.

good looks datwon and congrats on the new gig fam. hard work just gets you more work and a bigger pay off at the end of the day and we all got alot of work to do in 08.

Fresh Daily is well on his way to recovery....

shouts to: p. casso! homeboy sandman! sucio! naturel! john robinson! 8thw1!

it was a good time, look how hard i was smiling

images courtesty of photorob aka robert adam mayer
click the pic for the FULL gallery (mad pictures man, seriously lol)

stopped by the 'spital to check on the homie fresh daily yesterday and he is doing alot better and is in great spirits. but aside from all that shit this nigga got a view of the hudson river and fucking bedside service! got a nigga ready to rent a bed out in that bitch man lol. nah for real tho he is (involuntarily) chilling. they extended his stay but its only cus they really like having him around, it has nothing to do with his leg at this point. from the above photos (and linked galleries) you can see that his benefit show was a great success. lotta dope acts, lotta hype fans and lotta cash raised.

lemme see what else am i supposed to say? ummm...

well the mixtape is one verse away from being done. we got kay, torae, supastition (kam moye) and naledge on there too. so even if you have heard over half of the songs on there (which im sure my blog followers have, right?!?! please say yes) its still well worth tuning in. now if i could just track down don newkirk... again.

*writes find don newkirk (again) on whiteboard*

ummerahh.... the bridge is mastered and from what i hear the cover art has been turned in. getting closer but thats nothing because the brooklynati demos are coming along nicely. i wont say just how nicely but i will say that i have been playing it, alot.

and on that note i think i should go get ready to record some more and begin planning out this tour. ill update yall on that shortly...

ummm.... er...

looks like ill be videoblogging soon, i just hope i can do numbers like the homie nikki jean lol. i aint nowhere near as pretty tho and i dont think i can handle doing it daily but i wanna do em regularly so i guess ill just do em weekly. besides if i do it daily id be a biter right? dilemna! lol...

okay lemme stop typing and start my day

PS - FUCK NYPD SON!

Ilwil - Tanya Morgan presents Beat Thieves 2 Mixed by DJ Low Key

for those of you that have been waiting patiently* here it is all mixed and zipped up for you. click the image to download & go show www.rappersiknow.com some love while you are at it. good lookin out frank! enjoy

1. Ilwil – Beat Thieves 2 Intro
2. Ilwil – 711 ( Sunrise ) - prod suburb
3. Ilwil - The Ilwil Theme - prod ilyas
4. Ilwil & Jermiside - Easy - prod big nan
5. Ilwil & Buggs Tha Rocka - Keep Ya Head High - prod beataholic
6. Ilwil - The Beginning of the End - prod Legacey
7. Donwill - Go Head - prod wale oyejide
8. Tanya Morgan - How Low - prod mysterious
9. Ilyas - One More Dance - prod ???
10. Ilwil - From Love - prod Aeon
11. Ilyas - Telepathy - prod ???
12. Ilyas - Fire & Brimstone - prod Brickbeats
13. Ilyas - State Of Emergency - prod ???
14. Donwill - Camp Cupcake - prod Brickbeats
15. Ilyas - Free - prod ???
16. Ilyas - Get Ghost - prod Von Pea
17. Donwill & Kay of the Foundation - Fly Guys With Glasses - prod The Are
18. Donwill, Fresh Daily, Finale & Che Grand - Life’s Pie - Prod Oddissee
19. Ilyas – Dreamskape PSA
20. Ilyas & Rae Faith - Otherworldly - prod Obsidian Blue
21. Donwill - The Champ - prod Suburb
22. Donwill – All You Need To Know - prod CJ
23. Ilwil - Name Changes PSA
24. Donwill – Get Up - prod Wale Oyejide
25. Ilyas - Ayo Sexology
26. Ilyas & Ill Poetic – The New Young - prod Ill Poetic
27. Ilwil & 3rd Element - Souldiers - prod ???
28. Ilwil & Rye Bred - Booth Snitches - prod ???
29. Ilwil, Moxy Monster & Lance Manson - 513
30. Ilwil & Ride Out - Beat It Up - prod ???
31. Ilwil – Beat Thieves 2 Outro

(ill find out who the question marks are, i dont remember offhand)

HEY DAVE! HERE! MERRY TUESDAY NIGGA!*

Dondub's Home Videos - We Be

funny how time flies, especially when its time to turn around and do it all over again. after a really long talk with ilyas i opened the brooklynati folder today to discover that i have alot of work ahead of me. hopefully its as fun as the last ride was....

may as well cancel that netflix subscription

last time cincinnati and brooklyn got together...

and it sounds so sweet (c) me

a classic was made, wether you like it or not! donwill, ilyas, and i'm von pea; and we are tanya morgan. welcome to the bridge. you comin over with us? how!?

ps - next stop brooklynati...

im so glad they didnt ask me about politics

click the photo to read the interview

i did an interview with lady and fluff via email the other day and they work pretty damn fast. i mean that shit was up in a matter of hours. the questions were pretty damn interesting but im really, REALLY happy they didnt ask me about politics. i will say this regarding super tuesday, please dont cast an uniformed ballot. i could rant on and name names but i wont, not yet anyway. the mingling of entertainment and politics bothers the shit out of me and always has and im just waiting for it to reach critical mass before i really go in. shit the news coverage of it all, no the news in general pisses me the fuck off. but again, i wont rant... not yet anyway

congrats to those ny giants and get your asses out there and vote for whoever it is you believe is fit to run this country.

that will be all

what day is it again?

filthy says: shit iontknow!
spec says: who cares anyway?!

i been pretty fucking busy lately and while i have a few unfinished thoughts drafted im really just around handling other business. im an instrumental part of 5 releases this year so as you can imagine my workload changes at a moments notice. here is a quick status report:

tanya morgan is a rap group (aka the as of yet unnamed dj soul mixtape): i dont think ilyas even knows the name of the mixtape yet, the title is THAT new lol. but the bulk of the songs have been picked and we are in the middle of getting the special treats in order right now.
-february 08 (??)

the bridge: see the last entry for info the tracklist. save 2 verses from ilyas, a sang hook and a few mixes it is done to the point where i could sit down and play it for you if i saw you on the street. honestly its all ive been listening to for the past 1-2 weeks so if you see me rockin the ipod ask can you hear it lol. i have to comp out some cover art ideas and i need to get that done today.
-april 08 (??)

brooklynati: we have had a few tracks demo'd out for a while now, like a few months but with the bridge wrapped im shifting my focus to this. we have decided on how the cover art should look and all thats left is to just do the music. im so warmed up from workin on the bridge, should be pretty interesting
-around fall 08

suburban sprawl: waiting on one more mix and we are goin over cover art comps right now. that shit has been done for a while it was just figuring out how to get it to yall. im going to release it via a digital distribution service. by the time that tanya hits the road i may have a few hard copies to sell for the die hard's out there but basically its gonna be available online only.
-any fucking day now

the beat thieves vol 2: fresh outta my gmail...

SENT 10 HOURS AGO:

Frank,

Below is the final tracklist, logos and copy for the "Tanya Morgan presents Ilwil - Beat Thieves 2 (mixed by DJ Low Key)" cover (I can't believe it's finally done). Ilyas said he already sent the Ilwil pic, Dreamskape and Fusicology logos a while back and the rest are attached. Please hit me or him up with any questions. Thanks again, you're the man....

Low Key

1. Ilwil – Beat Thieves
2 Intro
2. Ilwil – 711 (Sunrise)
3. Ilwil - The Ilwil Theme
4. Ilwil & Jermiside - Easy
5. Ilwil & Buggs Tha Rocka - Keep Ya Head High
6. Ilwil - The Beginning of the End
7. Donwill - Go Head
8. Tanya Morgan - How Low
9. Ilyas - One More Dance
10. Ilwil - From Love
11. Ilyas - Telepathy
12. Ilyas - Fire & Brimstone
13. Ilyas - State Of Emergency
14. Donwill - Camp Cupcake
15. Ilyas - Free
16. Ilyas - Get Ghost
17. Donwill & Kay of the Foundation - Fly Guys With Glasses
18. Donwill, Fresh Daily, Finale & Che Grand - Life’s Pie
19. Ilyas – Dreamskape PSA
20. Ilyas & Rae Faith - Otherworldly
21. Donwill - The Champ
22. Donwill – All You Need To Know
23. Ilwil - Name Changes PSA 24. Donwill – Get Up
25. Ilyas - Ayo Sexology
26. Ilyas & Ill Poetic – The New Young
27. Ilwil & 3^rd Element - Souldiers
28. Ilwil & Rye Bred - Booth Snitches
29. Ilwil, Moxy Monster & Lance Manson - 513
30. Ilwil & Ride Out - Beat It Up
31. Ilwil – Beat Thieves 2 Outro

SENT 36 MINUTES AGO:

Awesome, lemme go thru my things and get started on it

***should be dropping any day now over at rappers i know, i still feel like thats too much music to be just givin away for free but its too late now...

baby, if you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me (c) wkrp's theme song

*almost there*

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
!!!THE BRIDGE!!!

the bridge
we doin our
place (filthier interlude)
the takeoff
be you
HHID part 2
got to get done
get me inside
how low

von pea - brickbeats - mysterious - 88 keys

next stop brooklynati...

footnote: the roebling bridge (cincinnati's main bridge) was designed after the brooklyn bridge. it is a miniature version made to scale and everything. in the given context thats kinda strange huh?