February 24, 2004Howdy yall!What's new with me you ask? Lots, as always. Rogers TV Cable 10: First off, if you live in New Brunswick, be sure to tune into Rogers TV Cable 10 to catch an interview and performance by me (Pimp Tea) at the 506 Compilation CD Release in Sussex. It airs on a show called 'First Locals' daily at 5 pm & 9 pm from Mon. Feb 23rd to Thurs. Feb 26th. 506 Compilation: If you haven't heard about the 506 Compilation, you should check it out at ChickenFace Records website: www.chickenfacerecords.cjb.net The compilation was put together by Chris Erb, a high school entrepreneur, and features my previously unreleased 'Ice Ice Water (remix) feat AC.' The CD release show in was pretty cool: I saw Gary Flanagan for the first time and he was pretty wicked! The Heatskores from Ontario also played, and lead singer Eddie tried to buy my Labatt 50 trucker hat from me. I said flat out 'no'. Here's a funny story. Upon arriving in Sussex, I got promptly pulled over by a cop for a random seatbelt inspection. The boys laughed at me afterwards, here's how the conversation went down: Cop: "I thought I didn't see your seat belt on back there" Troy: "No, I had it on" Cop: "Why is your jacket half off" Troy: "I'm from Fredericton, er, I'm hot" Cop: "So you're saying people from Fredericton are warmer?" Troy: "Well, no, but I was driving and was kinda hot, but not hot enough, so my jacket was half off" Cop: "Well then why is this back window fogged up" Troy: "Cause it was cold back there" Cop: "I'm gonna have to run your license" He let me go, but promptly did a U-turn and pulled someone else over. And yes, of course I had my seatbelt on! ZeD TV: Got invited to perform two songs on CBC's ZeD TV. It'll be taped in early March and I'm pretty excited. There'll be some new material and some surprises. I'll be sure to let you know when it airs. Name Change to Pimp Tea: Well, I done did it. I decided to change my name from PIMP-T to Pimp Tea. Now, before you bite my head off, hear me out. I like diversity, change and growth, especially when it comes to music. I've been reviewing for so long that those three things mean a lot to me. I feel like I've grown so much recording-wise, writing-wise and rapping-wise since my first album (Power Is Mindful Peace), that I needed to change the name to reflect that growth. As well, I like how Pimp Tea sort of bridges the gap between the street image (pimp) and the royalty image (sipping tea). Ultimately, I felt that the acronym of "Power Is Mindful Peace" didn't explain my vision as an artist anymore. It seemed kind of one-sided, and although it portrays a good message, I just get excited at the thought of a new more positive, community-oriented name. The new acronym is "Positively Influencing More People To Excel Artistically" and reflects myself as a whole person, rather than just an artist. And I like that. Next album: Well, I've been working hard on the next album 'An Urbal Remedy'. The business plan is locked down and weighs in at about 50 pages. It's shaping up to be about 15 - 17 songs and they're all recorded except for 3. Been working hard with my brother, Colin, (an OIART recording school graduate) on the mixing of the album. I'm a control freak, and despite knocking heads once or twice, the end product is sounding exciting! A quick count has 14 different Atlantic Canadian producers contributing to the album. Assuming my hardcore budgeting goes as planned, the 12" vinyl single will appear in September, followed by the album, 'An Urbal Remedy' on November 30, 2004. I'd like to tell ya more, but I wanna keep some secrets for the future. Super Dude Clothing: The new Super Dude clothing line has been a great success so far! The black t-shirts with gold letters are going fast. Better pick one up soon! You can check them out online at: www.pimptea.com/store.html There's lots more going on. Like school, sports and the Atlantic Canadian Hip-Hop Newsletter (email me if you want on)... but it's late, and I'm tired. (Oh! I scored first two goals of ball hockey intramural season tonight. Also realized I miss playing basketball - its been nearly 2 years). Shouts out to Gary Flanagan and Alexandre aka Spoof Le Grand for making the cut for Dig Your Roots 2004 Electronic Dance compilation ( www.digyourroots.ca). Alexandre produced a track for my upcoming album called 'Spoof Le Grand' which features my trusty sidekick, Rory Borealis, rapping for the first time. Thanks to Justin Sadler for the Super Dude logo design. guttermouth_publications@hotmail.com Cheers to all, Troy aka Pimp Tea. |