ThaWilsonBlock Magazine

Now, for Pasadenans that have been around for a few generations may already know about Loretta Thompson Glickman , Pasadena's first African American Mayor. And for those who know even more are aware that she was a traveling Jazz/Pop musician before getting involved in politics. As her music career came to a close, she wanted to start a family. Born in 1945, Loretta Thompson Glickman was a Jazz singer who toured with The New Christy Minstrels , an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. She also performed the show "London Fog" LIVE at The Gold Rush on December 8th, 1973 with Keith Thomas , Dianne Thomas, Bruce Eskovitz , Steve Rawlins, and others. Keith Thomas has made the "London Fog" cover performance songs available for free download (below). Glickman was encouraged to get into politics by her colleagues. She began campaigning in Pasadena's Northwest District 3 where she would win and eventually be reelected. D...

Today's local music scene in Pasadena, California is alive and well. Mistah Wilson caught up with Download This Interview Pasadena Hip Hop pioneer Paco Swartz for an exclusive interview about Music, His Detroit Roots, and How He's Managed to Stay focused through Adversity. In this interview, Paco touches on how his spot was the 'dojo' for a lot of the Pasadena artists from his generation. Giving Glory to God for still being here, Swartz also speaks on growing up in Pasadena and attending Washington Middle School. Paco mentions the adverse conditions of students who attended Washington Middle School, or the "Thunder Dome" in comparison to schools in different districts who didn't have that obstacle. Paco Swartz pays homage by crediting Pasadena rapper GrinCH for taking him under his wing and encouraging him to play sports as oppose to getting caught up with the streets. Paco reveals that he is "classically" trained in music when singing, a...

In the 1980s and '90s, David Adkins achieved massive popularity with his keen observational and relationship comedy under the stage name Sinbad. His specials ran on cable constantly, he frequently did routines on the talk show circuit, and he was a regular on television and in film. These days, however...well, he's not. In fact, Sinbad's making more headlines lately for appearing in movies that never actually existed, rather than landing any new leading roles. Here are some reasons why we don't hear from Sinbad anymore... He stopped making specials | 0:31 Medical problems | 1:14 Bankruptcy | 1:38 Voicework | 2:28 Funk band | 3:00 Everything is cyclical | 3:36

Exclusive Q&A w/ Keith Sweat about coming up in the game, what he thinks about R&B music today, and what fans who have yet to see his Vegas show, Keith Sweat: Last Forever can expect. Take me back to 1987 when the album Make It Last Forever was released.  It was a time of a new artist coming out with new music trying to make an impact on the music scene. So me dropping an album in 87, or music in 87, was to make a statement and somewhat different than what was out because you had a harder drum beat in the back of R&B music and sultry type of music. The music scene at the time when I came out was good but I helped to make it better. I don’t take credit for it because you had people like the O’Jays out and New Edition, those type of people. I just added to what was already out there with a different type of vibe. I kind of flipped the script a little bit along with people that I worked with like Teddy Riley. What was it like working with him?  Me and Teddy knew each...

Before Steven “Stevie J” Jordan became a reality TV show star, he was best known as a music producer with Bad Boy Entertainment. The Love & Hip Hop Atlanta cast member worked with several artists associated with the label, including Biggie. Stevie J was behind the boards for classic The Notorious B.I.G. song such as “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Notorious Thugs” off the Life After Death album. So it is no surprise Stevie has an opinion about Atlanta’s Lil Yatchy referring to the Hip Hop legend as “overrated.” “Life After Death alone should get the respect of any of these young dudes,” said Stevie J. “But these young dudes don’t know sh-t… Google motherf-cker! You ever heard of Google? Google n-gga!” The 43-year-old television personality added, “Overrated? His hair color is overrated. Sell some records. Pay homage to the cats that made it possible for you to be here. And if they were here, you wouldn’t even be here.” Stevie J did not end his criticism with just Yachty. He also questi...

Hip-Hop veteran DJ Kay Slay is fed up with the ignorance of a younger generation of rappers, and he’s doing something about it. ​ The “Drama King” behind the magazine Straight Stuntin, is launching a new business venture to educate younger rappers. ​ According to Kay, he’s launching a brand new radio show called “What’s the Science,” that will focus on educating whoever wants to learn about the essence of Hip-Hop. ​ “Due to the lack of Knowledge in the Hip-Hop culture I’m starting a new show titled ‘What’s the Science’ dedicated to educating whoever would like to seek the knowledge of the essence of Hip-Hop,” DJ Kay Slay explained “Each episode I will be sitting down with legendary MC’s/DJ’s/Break Dancers/Graffiti Artists/Producers and OG’s with Knowledge of Self.” DJ Kay Slay is more than qualified to tackle the sub... Read More...

Nysie Hurst said it was her illness that propelled her into the world of art. She worked for years as a science teacher at Freedom High School with her husband, school psychologist Adrian Hurst. The pair traveled, taught and conducted research in various places around the globe before and while at Freedom. She had no previous art training. Symptoms that had affected her since her mid-20s flared up while the couple was on an assignment in a remote part of Alaska in 2012. Hurst, then 39, said she became alarmed when parts of her body went numb, with family members fearing a stroke. After many tests, Hurst was finally diagnosed with MS. The couple returned to Morganton so she could receive more advanced care. Hurst explained that MS is an auto-immune disease in which the patient’s T-cells cross the blood-brain barrier and attack the nerves’ myelin sheaths, which affects people not only physically through pain, tingling, muscle spasms, numbness and fatigue, but also emotionally and cogniti...

"My goal has always been to create positive recognition for all of the wonderful talented artists that we have up here, and hopefully somebody will get a chance to really break out of here and get signed," Ward said. "When that happens? I'll be so happy."   The 2017 nominees for the fourth annual Alaska Hip Hop and R&B Awards include some of the most prolific names in Alaska hip-hop — performers including Alaska Redd, Bishop Slice and Starbuks. The first awards show took place in 2008, Ward said. After a long hiatus, it was revived in 2015. It gained momentum in 2016, Ward said, and when construction at the Loussac Library prompted organizers to find a new venue for the 2017 event, they decided to make the leap to the downtown performing arts center.  "We just want to have it grow, and it keeps getting better and better every year," he said. Anchorage hip-hop artist Tayy Tarantino is one of more than a dozen Alaskans up for awards Saturday, nom...

Nick Turpin has been around the block, quite literally. He's been a practicing street photographer for nearly 30 years . But times have changed—so much so that Turpin now prefers the term "candid public photography" to differentiate his art from the increasingly ambiguous genre of street photography. Turpin estimates that there are at least a thousand photographers roaming the city's streets today, compared to the four or five photographers capturing London's urban life when he started—all of whom he knew. Today, many use smartphone cameras they can fit in their pockets; some young people may never own an old school point-and-shoot. Turpin remembers what street photography was like in the 1990s and early 2000s, before the iPhone and Instagram and Flickr made photo-sharing ubiquitous and gave rise to the everyman photographer. But changing technology isn't the only striking difference: Over the past 30 years, cities themselves have become more hostile to street...

Don't let tha face fool you, Pasadena rapper Tone Grizzard is no lyrical push-over. Actually, he's an apex predator out here. Don't think you could just beat him in a rap battle. He's not a stranger to the local music scene. Having released several mixtapes over the years, Grizzard stands out as one of the most creative lyricists currently doing it from Pasadena. Tone attended the BringingItTogether Gold Carpet Open Mic Photo Shoot & Drum Circle on 12/20/16 and spit an exclusive (and explicit) freestyle that will leave you astonished! Tone Grizzard, who directs his own music videos, has worked with local producer and public figure Paco Swartz on numerous projects. In this freestyle, Tone Grizzard proves why he's one of Pasadena's hardest hitters... Not for tha faint of heart. 

Don't let tha face fool you, Pasadena rapper Tone Grizzard is no lyrical push-over. Actually, he's an apex predator out here. Don't think you could just beat him in a rap battle. He's not a stranger to the local music scene. Having released several mixtapes over the years, Grizzard stands out as one of the most creative lyricists currently doing it from Pasadena. Tone attended the BringingItTogether Gold Carpet Open Mic Photo Shoot & Drum Circle on 12/20/16 and spit an exclusive (and explicit) freestyle that will leave you astonished! Tone Grizzard, who directs his own music videos, has worked with local producer and public figure Paco Swartz on numerous projects. In this freestyle, Tone Grizzard proves why he's one of Pasadena's hardest hitters... Not for tha faint of heart. 

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson. A figure who has greatly inspired the generation of today to live up to their potential. In Pasadena, California, you see his monuments almost everywhere. From Robinson park and Rec Center to City Hall, John Muir High School to Pasadena City College, Robinson has definitely earned more than just a name for himself. But even after The 4.2-mile stretch of the 210 from Gould Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard was renamed the "Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway," there are still a few spectators who still aren't satisfied. I mean, it's cool having a portion of a freeway named after you. But, that was something that could've came after Robinson  Blvd. After watching the movie "42" about the life & career of Jackie Robinson, Mistah Wilson was struck with inspiration and soon thereafter had a vision of seeing Robinson Blvd in real life. After ample research and thinking it through, Mistah Wilson soon found out that there was no major...

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Buy This Album Apartment Jam The Meeting's in Session (feat. Bones & Souljah 100) Spread the Word 'til Your Eyes Roll Back (feat. Coco Avenue) 2-Hye to Miss the Moon It's Sealed (feat. Bing Bing ) The Shoe Fits (feat. S.G, Mos Keys & Gabe Kessell) Inhale Exhale (feat. Mos Keys) Breather Break (Skit) 626-818-5150 (feat. Big-E & Patrick Antonian) An L.A. Second (feat. Laura Espitia) A Million and a Half (feat. Abo Yerkanyan) Amen                       It has really been a long time coming, reaching exactly a decade since the debut album. "A Little Past High" (2007) , which was produced by Mason David Levy . That is the same producer who also produced the second album, "The Hye Way" (2009) . It has been an even longer time coming, considering when 2-Hye met Darrell Lynn in 2003, mentoring the young artist's development through the various mix-tapes prior to the debut album, to fully producing the third albu...

Ask around. Pasadena, California is the place 'you want to live' if you're in Los Angeles County or Southern California. It's location sets it apart from any other city. Even Altadena and South Pasadena feel different. As the generations came and went, traditions were born and leaders were made. Today, the pride & culture surrounding the Pasadena / Altadena area is very strong and tight-knit. It's like Compton. Everybody knows everybody. And for those who don't, they still know somebody who knows somebody who knows everybody. There are a lot of things that make people fall in love with Pasadena. Although everyone has their own reasons why they love the city, there's one common thing that gives natives a sense of belonging. DENA. Quiet as kept, Pasadena has birthed great people. From Jackie Robinson to Michael Cooper. Van Halen. It has also been a place where greats have established themselves like famous R&B singer Teena Marie. On today's scene, ...

Dom Promo, commonly known as Dominic Poole or DOMINANCE, connected with Inland Empire Comedian Anthony Stone as they discuss the movement, love for the craft, and greats that have influenced him.

Percy Johnson , a native of Pasadena, California, interviewed local artists who attended and performed at the BringingItTogether Gold Carpet Open Mic Photo Shoot & Drum Circle on Friday December 30th, 2016. 

“Encourage the youth to pick up their pens and to tell their stories because everyone's story deserves to be heard.”   Mistah Wilson : Greetings, Usolosopher! Honored to have you here with us for this exclusive Q&A w/ ThaWilsonBlockMagazine! How ya’ been? Usolosopher : I have been blessed to have made it this new year bro. It's an honor to be on ThaWilsonBlock once again. I just thank you bro for your endless support of my poetry.  Mistah Wilson : No doubt! First off, we commend you for your hard work. Your consistency does not go unnoticed. You came out to The Element and The BringingItTogether Gold Carpet Photo Shoot in Pasadena, CA, and shared some poetry. What other cities have you managed to book performances at? Usolosopher : I had my first ever book signing this past November in Montebello, CA at the Daily Brew Coffee Bar. I knew about that place because they have this open mic called Eastside Poetry hosted by Nicole Serrato who is a poet, model, and a gre...

*Note: This is a throwback exclusive interview with singer Moniquea featured in ThaWilsonBlock Magazine Issue9 Mistah Wilson : Who are some of the artists both in the city and beyond that you've worked with? Moniquea : From Dena, to name a few, I have worked with: Ted D. Bear, Broadway, Quaz, Ekim, Kloudnyne, Dulo, SD, Mike Towns, XL Middleton, Reality Jonez, Philthy Phactor, Priceless, Paco Swartz, Faith, Evri, Rebecca J, The Hundred, Noy, etc. Beyond Dena, to name a few: Ric hard, A.J. from tha K, Dis Most, Hunnid Roundz, Tax Free, Bogie Corleone, Ms. Shannon, HomieHomie, Burris Ave., Young Loon, Big Doty, etc. Not to leave any others out... These are just the names that I can come up with off top. Mistah Wilson : When I see you perform I can tell that you're a seasoned singer. Who are some artists that inspired you? Moniquea : There's a wide-range and there are many: Erykah Badu, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Deniece Williams, Daryl Hall of Hall ...

Mistah Wilson and ThaWilsonBlock Magazine recently caught up with gospel musician Magic Mike Z after a performance at Old Oak Cellars Open Mic in Pasadena, California on 1/13/17 for an exclusive interview to catch up since his last feature on the local music scene.  In this brief interview, Magic Mike Z talks about recently getting married, performing for homeless people in the park during community meals provided by local churches, and shoe shining at King King 's (Rest in Peace) barbershop back in the day. He also brings us up to speed on his latest efforts getting back on the open mic circuit and performing again. Download This Interview