What's upper! Last Saturday night was both a happy night but yet a sad night for me as I sat in the living room in the house of a man who was about to do what Larry Holmes did to my hero, Muhammad Ali 23 years ago. James "Lights Out" Toney turned out the lights by outscoring, outpunching & fiercely putting a possible end to the career of legendary four time heavyweight champ, Evander Holyfield. Congratulations James Toney who represents his hometown of Ann Arbor, MI & is also a childhood friend of WCBN's DJ Chill Will. See you back in Sherman Oaks & thanks for giving our boy, Hovik a shout out in front of millions who watched you be a part of history... Aiight Rap Attack fam, it's official. The "RapAttackLives.com Unofficial CMJ Hip-Hop Showcase #3" is on! The place to be is at club Opaline (85 Avenue A-between 5th & 6th Street) in lower Manhattan in NYC on Thursday night, October 23rd. Your guest Master Of Ceremonies will be; Nasty-Nes, DJ Addition, DJ Kazzeo (KHDC), DJ EQ (WBCR) & Dan Shores (WHRW). I will announce who the list of performing acts will be by no later than the end of this week.  Our event will rock the house from 9pm-until with an open bar from 9pm-10pm (beer only). The first 50 CMJ heads with badges will get in free & all others will get in at regular admission of just $10.00. Stay tuned... Just a friendly reminder that we have moved. So here is the official new mailing address to send your latest vinyl, cd's, mixtapes, dvd's, t-shirts, bootleg movies & magazines for review to:

RapAttackLives.com

4750 Kester Avenue, Ste. 20

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

attn: Nasty-Nes

Make sure you update your files with that info so you can be guaranteed to get a write up here on NASTY NEWS & on the site that gets an average of over 120,000 hits a month!... The "Brainstorm 3" emcee battle is coming up this November 21-24th in Seattle, WA.. Last years winner was Presence outta Chicago & the event drew in up to 64 emcees from around the states. This years event expects to be even much larger! $2500.00 will be awarded to the winner. For more info, contact Khazma 247 online at: MADKREW@HOTMAIL.COM or at (206) 760-MADK... My uso's, The Boo-Yaa Tribe continues to make noise with "Bang On" featuring Mack 10 (Sarinjay). Peep their latest video at: http://launch.yahoo.com/artist/default.asp?artistID=1003274...

Ron Williams (formerly of TVT) is doing his thing over at FUBU with the new 54th Platoon single about to drop & the new Visionaries joint coming soon! You can hit up Ron at (212) 273-3300... Keeping the underground realm of hip-hop real is the Feenom Circle with their latest "The Pawn Shop" (Melatone Music). Six tracks of raw underground hip-hop. Tracks I was feelin' were "Frisco Disco," "F-Sharp" & "Hood Child." For more info, hit up Raw J from Feenom Circle online at: RAWJ@FEENOM.COM or at (510) 517-4180... Coming soon to a theater near you is the film "Penitentiary Chances". The first single from the soundtrack "Gangsta" is Ice Cube & Butch Cassidy "Big Boy's" (Heat Rocs). This track gives you the true west coast hip-hop vibe & I found myself peepin' this joint over & over again! The b-side "Pimp Sh#t" by Too $hort is anotha nice west coast joint that keeps the true flava of the Too $hort sound that put the Yay on the map. To find out more, let your fingers to the walking and call Aaron @ 323.692.1187 ... Soul Position returns with "The Jerry Springer Episode" on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Since this was one of the greatest tv shows of all time, I have little doubt you'll like this track. Submit your verdicts to Jessica over at Spectre by calling 213.368.1601 and make sure to ask her what it was like when she dated the bald headed security guy from the show... Conglomerates is a new crew about to make noise with the single "Listen Up" on Perceptive Records that features Breez Evaflowin'. For the hook up, call 718.429.1224 or email raimetaohor@aol.com ... After releasing the solid "Wallflower" single earlier this year, Critically Acclaimed are about to heat up the always cold month of December by dropping the new single "Road Trip" on TD Harry Entertainment in the early part of the month. It's produced by Oddisee and features a guest spot by Phonte of Little Brother. For more info, reach out to the one and only Peter Rosenberg at pmd@tdharry.com and make sure to discuss any militant issues you have while you have him on the phone... Our boy Karam wants you to be on the lookout for the latest single from the Boogaloo Trybe called "Panty Droppa" on Snake Eyez Entertainment. To make sure you are hit off with this, reach out to Karam @ 416.322.6015 or el.k@rogers.com... The homies from ESP Promotions & Trilogy are asking you for some help. They recently hit you off with the latest cd from the Spooks entitled "Faster Than You Know" on Koch Records. The album features Evil D and Charlie 2NA from Jurassic 5. Give it a listen and send your feedback to doublej@trilogyonwax.com... The fellas at Ustyles laced me with their latest release, "Volume 15", and it is blazing! Featured on this cd are tracks such as "Party & Bullsh*t" by Rah Digga, "Beef" by Mos Def, "Stay Real" by Black Moon, "Gyspy Slang" by Hezekia feat. Bahamadia, and "Charlie Hustle" by Tribeca. This is a slammin' cd. To get laced, hit up vers@ustyles.com  or call 917.859.8699 and let'em know RapAttack sent ya!... Speaking of Black Moon, their album "Total Eclipse" drops tomorrow (Oct. 7). If you would like to have them call in to your show for interviews and promotion, get at "Mr Red Sox" Papa D at 888.513.3998 or papad@brickrecords.com... By now you should be blasting the latest joint from Hard Knock Records called "What About Us". This cd contains songs from Zion I, Blackalicious, Bukue One, and Abstract Tribe Unique to name a few. The one and only Nick Huff is the man with the plan on this one. Give him a call at 818.248.5769 ... I just got laced with the new Paris album "Sonic Jihad" (Guerilla Funk). His new single "FNB (Field Nigga Boogie)" has got a similar feel to his classic "Break The Grip Of Shame" to it! It's great to hear our O.G. homie back in effect. Since tomorrow is the big election day as California gears up to elect a new Governor, I thought it would be important to print this letter from Paris regarding that. So here it is:

Why Vote? An Open Letter To Cali Hip Hop
By Paris, www.guerrillafunk.com
The debate comes up time and time again. Why vote?

Nothing seems to matter, and politics are corrupt. Besides, our voices don't make a difference anyway, right?

Wrong. Our voices absolutely make a difference, and they are needed more than ever right now. Aside from the fact that people died during the Civil Rights Era to allow us the ability to vote, the situation in politics is so grave right now that I believe our immediate objective should be to remove and/or keep the worst-case scenarios from office, rather than focus on putting the best folks in. Ordinarily I would hold out and vote for the candidate that best reflects my beliefs. But in this instance, desperate times call for desperate measures. Conservatives vote, often as a unified force, and rarely is their collective voice as splintered as that of progressives. This lack of focus serves to weaken significant opposition to the conservative agenda. I believe that in this instance, we, as those seeking change, must adjust accordingly. Sure there are people who exist who closely echo the sentiments of many of us. But can they really win this time, given their inadequate funding and relatively low profiles? And can we afford to waste votes in this climate where we've seen the results of a worst-case scenario (Bush)? Like it or not, voters who embrace a moderate platform are needed to ensure the success of both the progressive and conservative agendas, respectively. And like it or not, the truth is that there are differences--major differences--between the main political parties (i.e. Supreme Court Nominations). Am I beholden to democrats? Absolutely not.

But I'll take them over republicans any day, as long as things exist the way they do. Read on. The fact that the media decidedly conservative bias is what tilts most in the middle towards conservatism. It's easier for the average, no-opinion-having, non-reading American to parrot the Newspeak on everychannel USA then it is for them to do independent research and analyze information on their own. But given the state of the economy and the fact that global war is being waged on people of color for profit, it's necessary for us to develop our own strategies. The effectiveness of the agenda of the conservative political base has been their success in generating confusion and spreading misinformation, thereby making many of us so disillusioned with the system that we refuse to participate in it. We've come to believe that things will never really change no matter what we do. This belief often allows the very small percentage of people who vote to shape policies, and thus control the destinies of the larger collective. It's all really quite easy for them to accomplish through the propaganda they release on outlets they manipulate.

In fact, let's dissect an example of this propaganda. Yesterday, a story ran showing that CNN Gallop polls say Things Look Good for Schwarzenegger." The story ran all over the media--so much so, in fact, that it seemed as though the media had it's own agenda. He was on every television news program and on the cover of every daily. View this in contrast to the coverage of Bush's recent admission that there exists no concrete link between Saddam and 9/11, an obviously much more newsworthy story in light of the fact we're killing--and being killed--on a daily basis in Iraq. What admission, you say? The one that was all but swept under the rug. The one that flies in the face of the administration's objectives and official story up to this point. The one that was too much truth for the public, I guess...

But back to the poll. Did they ask you any questions? No? They didn't? Well guess what, they didn't poll me either, or anyone I know. And where did they poll these mystery folks, and how many did they poll? Most of the polls are between 500 and 1000 people. This is significant because, at least as far as this instance is concerned, there are 37,000,000 people in California. These polls are definitely not representative of the entire voice of the state. Understand that the media can craft the desired results of these polls by selectively choosing their polling demographic - if they even conduct the poll at all (who knows?). For example, if I go into Oakland or Hunter's Point in the San Francisco Bay Area and ask 1000 residents what the number one problem in their community is that they'd like to see addressed, it'd be safe to assume that black-on-black crime would be at the top of the list. But pose that same question to residents in Simi Valley, California and the answer would be completely different - probably something along the lines of complaints about property taxes or excessive real estate expansion. The more the media clouds the issues, the easier it is for conservatives (people who actually band together and vote) to shape policy. But why complain? Does it really do any good? Well, more often than not, it doesn't. But voting does, if enough people do it. The problem is that we've effectively been led to believe that we can't make adifference on an individual level. Of course, the media doesn't help. They tell us that the electoral process is corrupt, and they rarely provide adequate and equal coverage of all of the candidates and their respective positions. So that leaves it up to us. The fact is, if more of us became involved, minor snafus in the system wouldn't matter as much. But they matter greatly when candidates run neck-and-neck and the margin of error is as slim as it's been in recent elections. Add to this the element of celebrity and the dynamic of everything changes completely. Conservatives like to say that although Americans have the right of free speech, celebrities should "keep their pie-holes shut," since they not only aren't knowledgeable enough to be in politics, but that they unabashedly use their fame to lure the nai"ve media into reporting their views. The celebrities "are abusing their stature [and] need to be put back in their place [and] need to understand where they are in the great food chain of life," said John Kobylt, talk-show host at radio powerhouse KFI-AM in Los Angeles. But aren't media pundits celebrities? And what about Arnold? What makes our views any less important or knowledgeable than those of Ronald Reagan, Sen. George Murphy, Sen. Fred Thompson, Reps. Fred Grandy and Sonny Bono, Mayor Clint Eastwood, or Charlton Heston? The entire Fox News line-up? Dennis Miller, Laura Ingraham or Ann H. Coulter? Nothing.

They're just afforded the ability to be heard by the press, that's all. And when they speak, the neo-con pundits rejoice! Whoopee! Go America! To hell with asking questions as unemployment and death tolls rise, "Let's Roll!" What we need to do now more than ever is become involved. Don't allow your contempt for politics and the way things are push you into not wanting to be a part of the system. We can bang on the system by changing it from within. If we, as the disenfranchised class and hip-hop generation, all voted and became a political force, that would be nothing short of revolutionary--without ever having to pick up a gun. Why let someone else determine our destiny? There's nothing more appealing to the ruling class than an ill-informed population of  consumers. The maintenance of a working class of obedient sheep is the number one priority of the corporate elite. Why else would policy makers, who represent their interests, continue, year-after-year and generation-after-generation, to undermine education through lack of funding?
DO NOT allow yourself to get caught up in the allure of  celebrity. For the record, and in case you don't know, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a republican who has tip-toed around elaborating on his positions on specific issues. Forget his celebrity, or what may appear to be his likeability - he represents a party that has proven itself to be exclusionary and racist, and beholden to the predatory special interests of major corporations. Sure, he says he's pro-choice, supposedly believes in limited gun control, and seems to believe in educational reform. But he also seems to be developing the same disturbing pattern of race-baiting that others before him have exhibited. In fact, he is currently running an ad in California complaining that Indian Gaming Tribes pay zero taxes. Why? They're not supposed to. But perhaps he'd like to see their Sovereign status revoked? That would be in line with the intolerant policies of other high-profile republicans in California who have preceded him, and would undoubtedly galvanize his conservative constituency. Besides, he endorses the death penalty and 3-strikes laws too--laws that disproportionately affect poor minorities--and line the pockets of the prison industrial complex, so don't buy for a minute the "compassionate conservative" description currently going around about him. Do you really think that, after Prop. 209, Prop. 187 and the introduction of Prop. 54, we're supposed to believe that republicans represent the collective voice of the general public? It's amazing how intolerant the supposed majority becomes when the economy gets bad. The racism always comes to the forefront, as cries of "they're taking our jobs," and "we need to close our borders" echo incessantly in the conversations of both those who introduce this ignorance and those who are influenced by it. Jobs? We're taking their jobs? What planet are these people from? Most people I know are going through it right now. And speaking of Proposition 54, how many of us really know what it is? Proposition 54 would ban the collection of ethnic or racial data by any state or local agency, or by any entity that receives state money. That would tie the hands of anyone working to reverse decades of  discrimination in housing, employment, or countless other areas, and would transform education in California, making it illegal to gather statistics that illustrate the achievement gap. Without these statistics, it will be harder to push for the kinds of programs - like preschool - that can level the playing field. It would make it illegal for the government to keep track of the ethnic makeup of  its own employees. This, of course, like Prop. 209, would leave the door wide-open for discrimination, because it would remove the ability of people to have access to ethnic or racial data at all. This again puts America on the "honor system" with regards to racial parity - a test that it continues to fail miserably when left unchecked. Prop. 54 would also have terrifying public health implications, making it virtually impossible to do the kind of research that uncovers which ethnic groups are particularly susceptible to certain diseases or illnesses - research that is instrumental to public health campaigns and invaluable to physicians. This would put California at a serious disadvantage when competing for research grants, many of which require the consideration of racial and ethnic data. Don't complain about politics and the media, become politics and the media. Speak out, and let your voice be heard! Why do these politicians continue to favor policies and viewpoints that represent people opposed to us? Because they VOTE, that's why. Maybe if  we voted more often (at all?) we'd have somebody in office who
represents our interests too. Get your voter registration materials <http://www.guerrillafunk.com/thoughts/doc1717.html>  here. VOTE NO ON 54! NO ON THE RECALL!... PARIS.
 

SHOUT OUT TIZIME: Happy B'day to Baby Bon-Bon (I still love you after all these years!). Big thank you to all the record labels for your support with our upcoming hip-hop showcase in New York. I know you cats have a very limited budget, but every penny counts & it's going to help us financially to put on one of the biggest & best hip-hop showcases ever! If any labels still want to be a sponsor of our event, please contact DJ Addition at 617. 908. 3639!. Again, THANK YOU!!! DJ Kazzeo's wants to shout out to everyone gearing up for CMJ, to a legendary freestyle artist, Safire (Thank you for the chance to shine) and to Bay Area model Krishelle Brown ( <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/krishelle_brown/> ). Finally, R.I.P. to my mom, Leonarda Hocson Rodriguez (Oct. 8, 1980). "Mom, Ann & I love you & miss you very much."

PEACE, LOVE & HIP-HOP UNITY (God Bless & Isa Mahal),

Nasty-Nes (Pinoy Pride4Life / John 3:16)

& DJ Kazzeo (Asst. Rap Editor)