Brian

Joined July 2021

0 stories

Bio

I am a writer. I love fiction but also I'm a watcher of the world. I like to put things in perspective not only for myself but for other people. It's the best outlet to express myself. I am a advocate for Hip Hop & Free Speech! #Philly

Stories (52/0)

Reality Vs Social Media
By Brian Salkowski Social media has become an integral part of modern life, but it also comes with many drawbacks that can affect people's mental and physical health. Some of the pitfalls of social media include:
By Brian about a year ago in Psyche
Nas Live At Madison Square Garden
By Brian Salkowski Set List: (In no order. According to our memory) •The World Is Yours •Made You Look
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
Foxy Brown & Jay Z
A mini dive into 2 NYC rappers that topped the charts & became fodder for gossip. By Brian Salkowski They were on top of the hip hop world. They were the second Duo to follow the first famous Duo- Biggie & Lil Kim. Of course, I am talking about Jay Z and Foxy Brown. In the mid 1990s New York City saw an explosion of new rappers and new sounds. Part of this explosion included "the rap crew". Unlike Wu-Tang clan, the difference was a female being included in these crews. Kim in Junior Mafia and Foxy Brown in The Firm. Foxy's union with Jay seemed more bankable than the affiliation with Nas (mainly because the firm album flopped in the charts). "Ain't No N***a" is cited as playing a significant role in securing Jay-Z's record deal with Def Jam. According to Sony BMG A&R Nick Raphael, "Will Socolof of Freeze Records sent me a CD and a video and said to me, "This guy is incredible, but he needs a bigger label to take over. Are you interested?" There was radio silence. Then a huge bidding war was started to snatch up Foxy Brown. Bad Boy or Def Jam. She ultimately went with the latter. Jay that appeared on her debut album. Foxy then appeared on his 2nd album. Rumors were circulating that a "Bonnie and Clyde" was in the works just like "Thelma and Louise" with Foxy Brown and Lil Kim was supposed to happen. Details are foggy, allegations and speculation went from the bizarre to sometimes plausible. Either way by 1999 you can see Jay and Foxy slowly distancing themselves from each other.
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
My Favorite Book
My Review by Brian Salkowski In 1978, Stephen King, the author of ''Carrie'' and ''The Shining,'' published ''The Stand'' and almost immediately added thousands of new readers to his already huge following. At that time, Mr. King's publishers thought the book would be better and certainly more salable if it were cut - in fact, cut by 500 pages, nearly half of its original length. Now the novel has been reissued with the missing 150,000 words reinstated, plus a preface by the author and 12 black-and-white illustrations by Bernie Wrightson.
By Brian about a year ago in Horror
Illmatic- The Beginning
By Brian Salkowski (Originally written in 1998) A look at the album, the era it emerged in and the style it cultivated.
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
A Queen Shares Her Life
Artist: Mary J Blige Album: My Life Released: November 29, 1994 Distributed by: Uptown MCA Produced by: Sean "Puffy" Combs, Chucky Thompson, Nashiem Myrick, Dalvin DeGrate, Herb Middleton, Prince Charles Alexander, Poke
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
God's Son
By Brian Salkowski Artist: Nas Album: God's Son Deluxe Editon Released: December 13, 2002 (Ill Will/Columbia Records) Produced by: Agile, the Alchemist, Alicia Keys, Chucky Thompson, Eminem, Ron Browz, Salaam Remi
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
Shade & Getting Laid
By Brian Salkowski After a few days of government forced self-isolation in response to Covid 19, I wanted to do some research on why gay men are the way they are. On a social level. Its findings reveal what many in the community know all too well: that gay and bisexual men can be pretty harsh with each other and with ourselves in trying to measure up. Some people reported feeling stressed by what they perceived as the community’s obsession with looks, status, and sex; they pointed to its exclusionary racism and social cattiness. “We know that men in general are more competitive, and that masculine-related competition is stressful,” one article on Wikipedia says. “What these data show is that when that type of competition happens in a community made up of men that both socializes and sexualizes with each other, the toll on one's mental health can be pretty steep.”
By Brian about a year ago in Pride
Getting Old
Written by Brian Salkowski The past seems so long. It’s not just “long ago” but actually this vast stretch of time that we can’t recover. We won’t live as long as that. So, the past sometimes makes us feel diminished and—worse—diminishing, as if we’re somehow receding from everyone’s view (including our own). I sometimes try laughing the whole thing off by saying "I really am getting old" or "I hate getting old"
By Brian about a year ago in Longevity
Illmatic & It Was Written
By Brian Salkowski It's no secret that I'm very biased when it comes to Nas and Hip Hop. I believe Nas is the best, emerging in the best era of Hip Hop in my opinion. Yea there were some solid and creative albums and artists that was released since his entrance, but generally the era of great wordplay has come and went. One thing that constantly gets brought back up is the debate of which album is better... Illmatic or It Was Written? My answer is equal. Nas' greatest accomplishment with 'It Was Written' was being able to deliver a tracklist which varies from an underground hip hop sound to a more mainstream sound by once again recruiting the hottest producers in the game: DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and Trackmasters, Mobb Deep's Havoc among others. He did it with flawless delivery between the differing sounds. As far as the content being compared to It Was Written, they are both great in different ways.
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
Conscious vs Commercial Rap
By Brian Salkowski "Rap is the rock 'n' roll of the day. Rock 'n' roll was about attitude, rebellion, a big beat, sex and, sometimes, social comment. If that's what you're looking for now, you're going to find it here."
By Brian about a year ago in Beat
The Rewind effect
By Brian Salkowski Have you ever been listening to a song, and stopped what you were doing to rewind because the lyrics were so dope? It’s the highest compliment that you can pay a rapper and something you should strive to make happen in your lyrics as an MC.
By Brian about a year ago in Beat

Brian

Bio

Stories .css-19zxm0z-Text{display:inline-block;color:var(--text-default-mute);}(52/0)

Reality Vs Social Media

Nas Live At Madison Square Garden

Foxy Brown & Jay Z

My Favorite Book

Illmatic- The Beginning

A Queen Shares Her Life

God's Son

Shade & Getting Laid

Getting Old

Illmatic & It Was Written

Conscious vs Commercial Rap

The Rewind effect

Stories (52/0)