The Low

2007-09-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

The New Era.
By Taira Scott

Montgomery has been the home for many talented artist, athletes and beautiful models since the age of time, unfortunately there hasn’t really been an outlet for these inspired dreamers to make it to the big leagues. But today’s a new day and a new era and Authentic Team Management aka A Team Management is taking over, by being the leading face runner for management consultant in the South.
Created in 2003 by a couple of Montgomery natives, president John Carter and friends had a mission to create a management consultant firm that specialized in helping amateur and professional talents, that had a calling in music, modeling and sports but needed help in entering into the entertainment industry. The Team’s main vision is to help their clients with promotion, marketing, and getting their talent out to the masses.
A Team has developed into greatness over the last past years by working with MTV in their Choose or Lose Campaign and BET College Tour in Montgomery, not to mention that they have worked with several record companies such as Def Jam, Warner Brothers, BME, Rap-A- Lot, and Rowdy Records. As far as their model division A Team has gotten their sexy on with the help from Tyson Modeling Group and Enicity Modeling Company to help expand their models.
If you think A Team Management is too Hollywood to be a Montgomery establishment think again because A Team has also contributed to making Montgomery a better place and making residents aware of health related issues, by teaming up with the Sickle Cell Foundation, NAACP, ADIS Outreach, and the Cancer Society. A Team is always looking to venture out with new clients, but as for right now they are anxiously working on their American Dream Models calendar, their sports division and producer/ songwriter Dallas Austin TV show.
As of today there is no other management consultant firm in the South that’s holding it down like A Team, if you ask President John Carter who is his biggest competition he’ll tell you Violator, which might I add is a East Coast region management consultant firm. “When our vision reach’s it’s maximum potential they definitely will be a future competition.”
For more information call John Carter @ (334) 669-5646 or my by e-mail mailto:ateammanagement@tmail.com

Leaders of the New School.

2007-08-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

The Gump’s very own Kalaso is a Hip-Hop group, that has been through the fire and back, but still continues to be innovators in fashion and hip-hop, giving the term “Young-ins in charge” a whole new outlook. They recently set down with me and gave their intake on the good, the bad, and the fresh side of Hip-Hop in the Gump.
T. Scott: How long have you guys been rapping individually and as a group?
LZ: Nine years together and I’ve been rapping since eleven.
Hobo: I’m not going to lie, I’ve been rapping since the first time we met and he told me he rapped, we were in a heavy competition between each other so he told me he could do something, so I felt like I could do it too.(laughs)
T. Scott: How did you come up with the group and the name?
Hobo: Kalaso was more than two members, it actually started with three. It was Hersh (swag man) and us two. We started off with Khao back in the day as management. We was together for three years than we added Twist.
LZ: We came up with the name from the very first verse we ever wrote. We were a group before we had a name and someone said it in their verse about Kalaso, being big and we were like that’s the name, we all liked it. We were little guys on the label, the smallest boys, so we needed a name that made us bigger than life.
Hobo: Yeah. No body took us serious , we use to have to get all the lame tracks.
T. Scott: How did the group break up and become only 2 members?
LZ: Well it was never a group problem between us four, it was a problem with management. They had a personal problem with management so they left, but all four of us still talk to this day.
T. Scott: What makes the present combination of just the two of you work?
Hobo: A understanding and we share a love for real music.
LZ: In the beginning the whole kalaso thing started out wit me and B from the jump.
Hobo: It started out with us and it went back to just us.
T. Scott: How have you grown since the early days?
LZ: I think you grow as a person anyway and you are going to add to that as an artist.
Hobo: Real life issues, we struggle together. Anything that we have done we have done together and everything wasn’t just music that’s my homie, I’m no homo but that’s blood.
T. Scott: What inspires you to do what you do?
LZ: I’m not going to lie it was TV, when I was younger seeing Nas and other artist doing their thing.
Hobo: We took it as broadening our horizons by seeing these artist on TV, I can’t go to New York, or L.A, or Detroit but when I see Rap City and see these different styles of people and what they are doing, I bring it hear and give it to my people to show how they do it, but as well as how we do our own thing down here.

T. Scott: With that being said how do you feel about the state of Gump music?
Hobo: I can’t speak on no other artist but Kalaso and we coming. I don’t have a problem with none of the artist because I love our music(Montgomery). I feel like in the game right now we have great and strong artist, that is way better than the artist that is being played on the radio. But with that in mind I wish them all well but we doing Kalaso and DFC but they need to holla.
LZ: I got my selected choice of who I like, I like where they at with it, like Dirty Boys Twist, Jungle. Everybody doing music, everybody I love is doing fire music. There’s some stuff from artist I can’t get wit, but the only thing I don’t’ like is no body is listening to us, nobody has a way out, everybody just doing music and no body making no moves I’m not saying that nobody is trying to make moves but nobody haven’t did it yet, so the state of that is still slow.
T. Scott: As artist how can you fix that?
LZ: Go out and do ya thing, like now we messing with Slip N Slide we go out, we did not get that, just sitting in the Gump. We mess wit heavy people like Greg Gates. We get out and go to different place like Atlanta, South Carolina, Miami, Mississippi and network. We holla at the people from different places because they don’t go here so we go to them.
T. Scott: That’s what’s up , so you mention Slip- N- Slide what’s good with that?
LZ: It’s a situation where we ran into an A&R that heard our mix tape, they loved it, they got this thing call on the grind where they take your product and they push it and if the streets love it they put you on. It’s the same way that Piles got put on. It’s a gang of us to see who gets the most votes and right now we killing it so hopefully it go down and if it doesn’t they still promoting our music.
T. Scott: So you guys have Dead Fresh Customs where you guys do tats and clothing how do you feel about the State of fashion in the Gump?
Hobo: I do what I do for me, I do it because I love it. I like to be fresh that’s the name of our label that’s what we represent. (deadfreshcustoms) but at the same time I’m so disappointed at the individuality in Montgomery. Everybody’s on fads, they followers I’m not going to say everybody, but there is a lot of followers out there. I’m so sick of seeing the white tee’s, the fake Girbauds (the fabos) . A lot of people need to find themselves and really do what they want to do, I feel like I do what I want to do. I’m inspired by other people and I do by own thing without taking it in running with it. I guarantee you that you will see my own personal style through my shoes, my shirts, hair cuts, or tattoos. So holla if you trying to upgrade.
T. Scott: Ok. So what up incoming events are you guys working on?
LZ: We got The Come Up album in progress like literally. I don’t know what date yet because we are working on it now. The Come Up is like a mixtape compilation, album, I know that sounds crazy . But White Boy who’s affiliated with DFC, it’s his album but I call it a compilation because we all on it , and I call it a mixtape because we putting it out like mixtape style everything on there is original. We got other producers and production besides myself like Classic from b camp, lil drew. We also got appearances from Burn One, Twist, Big Youshi, Dirty, and Jungle.
Hobo: We got the Kalaso album coming after The Come Up. It’s called the Freshman album . And we working on our DVD, we also got some shows outside of the Gump.
We got tattoos shops we got another tat shop coming.
T. Scott: If you had to compare Kalaso to another group that’s in the industry who would it be?
LZ: UGK. Kalaso’s model is we are the hardest group since UGK .They real no matter what the conversation is they hood but still professional. You got one producer in the group. I’m not going to say we sound like them because their Texas and we Alabama. We do us but comparison we would have to say between UGK, Field Mob and Outkast. Outkast are artist like us, that’s how we met in a art class.
For music Myspace/kalaso
For custom kicks and clothing Myspace/DeadFreshCustoms
Pay pal or set up appointments call Hobo @ (334) 301-3559
For tats call LZ @ (334) 239 -7128

we the best

2007-08-15T11:40:00.000-05:00

Yo it's ya girl T.Scott, yea I know I've been gone for a minute but last week was crazy I was in Miami at the Ozone awards. Shout out to the whole Authentic Chronicles DVD/magazine staff (we the best)
okay back to the low
oh yeah shout out to young hersh check him out on myspace/younghersh.

2007-08-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

Young Hersh is not your typical M.C. from the Gump. His substance, hustle, and swag brings a new light to the Gump music scene. Not only is he creating a new look for the Gump but he’s bringing swag music to the table.
T. Scott: So, how long have you been rapping?
Hersh: Since I was eight or nine, so I have been doing it for about 15 years.
T. Scott: What made you decide to do it professionally ?
Hersh: I think when I was five, my mom took me to a Run D.M.C concert, I ‘ve been hooked ever since than. Plus I love music and I just happen to be real fly at it. It chose me.
T. Soctt: Dat’s hot, so have you been a solo artist your whole career or did you start in a group?
Hersh: Naw, I started in a group called Kalaso, it was me , my homboy’s B, Z and lil Twist and we was a group for about 4 years . The group began to break up when Twist left the group and joined Black Clowns and than I left in 2001, but the remaining members are still together.( shout out to Kalaso and Twist.)
T Scott: So, what inspires you to do what you do?
Hersh: The lack of talent in the game, and music is one of the easiest ways besides TV to get your message across. You can make one song and change millions of lives, it’s like a character in a movie , you can do what ever with the music, you can be broke and write a song about having money and it will motivate you to get money. Music is powerful.
T. Scott: With that being said, how do you feel about the state of Gump music?
Hersh: The music scene is something I haven’t seen in a long time, honestly I’m feeling all the artist that‘s active . It‘s a different sound, but I would like to see more unity, I would like to see more cliques and artist working together. As well as labels putting together shows and different groups putting together record pools and little functions , but it will all come, through time. A couple of year’s ago local artist was trying to kill each other,at least we can do a show together and when everybody gets off stage, it’s all love. I would like to see more mix tapes, but my biggest problem is the local radio stations, they don’t support artist like they should. You can here a song by Solider Boy and they will play that 50 times on both stations which is 100 spins , a major label see’s that and be like dang Solider Boy really doing it in Montgomery, but its artist in Montgomery that are a thousand times better than that and have grind a lot harder and we right here ,where he’s getting props from, and we can’t even get 5 spins a week, it’s kind of like crabs in the barrow mentally. I’ve been all over Alabama and we have some of the hottest diverse artist here, but it’s no support system.
T. Scott: What about the state of hip- hop in general?
Hersh: I love it. It’s about time the South got on, it could be more creative, I don’t believe everybody was a dope boy, if you was a dope boy how did you have time to perfect your rap? I don’t think there’s enough of a message coming out of the music. You can do the same party song , I’m a mack song, but still have a message . If you know that you do not have a choppa on your tour bus and you know, you have five security guards , don’t say you going to shoot the club up with a choppa every song. The people that’s listening to you ,are really living out, what they think you are doing. Music is universal language ,people listen to it and live off of it, people have to be conscious of that. It needs to be a little more positive and more of a message. I’m not saying you have to be a Common or Kanye but still more of “Cadillac 22s” , “Heaven Got A Ghetto”, and “Live In The Sky.”
T. Scott: What are some of your up incoming events?
Hersh: I got the Meet The Boss mix tape series 1, 2 and 3. One is out right now, the chop and screw album will be out in September. 2 and 3 should be coming in the next quarter. We also got the Meet The Boss DVD ,which we are working on. The DVD showcases how to translate one hustle to another hustle. My DVD starts off breaking down my definition of a hustle, the process of recording a project, to marketing, promoting and putting a project out, to the outcome . It’s the beginning to the end of a project and really showing how the street and the music industry is not that different. I’m trying to show if you can do this than you can do anything. I got a production team wit my business partner K.C. from ground zero, we are doing a lot of ghost writing for a lot of people in the industry. I’m also working on Khao’s Gangster Grill album, you going to hear me own that, as well as Khao’s Burn One, and his album. I’m also branching out and doing something with some Mobile folks. I got some things in the works with Grand Hustle, some deal offers, I’m working with Interscope and Atlantic. I’m also trying to get my record label together Misfit Music which some of my artist consist of Money Boy Mills, Show T, a lil artist named D.J., who’s eleven, ladies are going to love him and a west coast rapper named Jimmy Callaway. My lil brother Payday and Mills are formulating a group. The group is a mixture of street and raw hip hop. It’s a Cassidy and a lil bossie combination. Of course we got the barber shop Gentleman’s Spot at 344R McGee road and I also do club promotions at Diamonds on Thursdays. We should be bringing some concerts in September . We trying to stay busy and motivated.
T. Scott: So if you had to describe your music in 3 words what would it be
Hersh : I can do 2 , swag music
http://www.misfit/ mixtapes.com myspace/ young harsh

Hip-Hop in the South

2007-08-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

It took a long time for Alabama to get its shine in the Hip- Hop world, compared to other Southern dominated places, like Texas, Louisiana and Georgia, but Rich Boy aka Marcce Richard has changed the outlook for Alabama, since his self entitled album dropped.

The 23 year old's first single "Throw some Ds" brought a fresh outlook to Southern music, because it wasn't the typical snap music, but a mix of original crunk and a little old school, to even make the hardest thugs in the club two step.

With the help of the 1979 hit "I call your name" by Switch, made it a for sure swag anthem. But even with all the gilts and glam this country boy understands the beauty of true Hip- Hop and what it has been lacking."

A lot of people just need to bring it back to the old days and start rapping about stuff that's relative to everyday life, weather's it's yo momma catching cancer or you just trying to pay the bills. Everything doesn't have to be about dope or cars, but everyday life situations."