Free DangerDoom Tracks!!!

Research shows that Hip-Hoppers like free stuff... so Adult Swim and DangerDoom (i.e. Dangermouse and MF DOOM) are leakin' their own music! that's right!
take THAT bootleggaz!
anyways click the picture to cop that free DangerDoom joint : 7 free tracks you can download (including the Sofa King remix and the Madlib version of Space Hos!) for 6 E-Z installments of Nothin'... that even fits YOUR budget!

THAT'S wassup!
holla!
samax.

the infamous Johnny Blaze!

all Method Man/Wu-Tang fans have heard the name Johnny Blaze. now all you who are too illiterate (or maybe just too cool in your own mind) to read a comic and see what had the Ticallion Stallion so excited he needed to rip off his namesake, will finally get a chance to catch up...
what am i talking about? catch the first teaser for the upcoming (as in feb '07) Ghost Rider movie (starring Nic Cage as the aforementioned John-John Phenomenon...), based on one of the illest comic book characters ever created!

the short version: Johnny Blaze is a stunt-motorcyclist, who performs death-defying stunts for entertainment, similar to Evel Knievel (props to those out there old enough to know who THAT is). anyways, he sells his soul (idiot!) to save the life of someone he loves, inadvertantly binding himself to the Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos. the bad news: this periodically (i think they're going with "At Night, In the Presence of Evil") and involuntarily transforms him into a super-violent, fiery chain-swingin' demon-possessed psycho biker. the good news: he kicks Asses that truly need kicking as the vigilante Ghost Rider! holla!

anyways, here's why i can almost guarantee i'll like this movie:

1.motorcycle on fire: check!
2.nic cage: check!

what are we missing? oh yeah! let's throw in
3.excessively hot Eva Mendes (Hitch, Training Day) as Roxanne Simpson.

plus, he's going up against the devil's bastard son, the ill-like-no-one-is Blackheart! what more can i ask?

peace.
samax.

X3... not the new hummer, the movie!

i went and saw X3 this weekend...
i enjoyed it. my expectations were that it would really stink (i'm still mad that Sony ran off brian singer), but it was okay. like most movie adaptations of superhero comics, it rammed too much stuff into too small a space.

Beast, played by Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) was awesome. he captured the tortured arrogance of Hank McCoy perfectly. there were many nice surprises in the film, and Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Family Man, Red Dragon) didn't mess up too many of them (i am exerting massive amounts of self-control in not giving any more away!)...

so anyways, this post is not to tell you all about the movie, but to tell you it doesn't suck (as you may have heard), and that you should go see it... go ahead, hurry up!
then, we can talk all about it!

holla!
samax.

p.s. superman (directed by some guy named Brian Singer) is gonna be the BOMB!

hard at work/hardly workin'...

little bit'a both... my current job will end soon (i try to stick to tempin' and freelancin'), but between it and working on side projects, i've neglected my blog... sorry fam'ly!
right now, i'm working on a couple projects, including getting the ghettoManga summer special ready to go to press in time for the san Diego comicon (more work than i thought!).

i'm also being an artsy flake and doing a lotta senseless drawing, movie-watching and concert-goin', so all excuses aside, i'm back in the saddle, so i won't leave ya'll hangin' anymore!!!

holla!
samax.

PUBLIC ENEMY #1?

once again back is the incredible... RHYME ANIMAL!
and comics will never be the same!

there is a new PUBLIC ENEMY comic coming out (in fact, you can order the first issue now...).

read more about it where i did: CBR.
HOLLA!
samax.

Kweli Logo Contest

yeah... so i saw this on Kweli's myspace page... he's lookin' for a new logo, and is holding a contest for it, so if you're inclined, check it out for rules and what-not...

i'm gonna do a li'l somethin' for it.

holla!

samax.

Mr. Blakes if you're Nasty...

"in the southwest, the story will forever be told/
the texas tea, bubblin' underground BLACK GOLD!
Jed and Jethro sold it for so many Millies/
Ellie Mae and the whole gang went from Hill Billies/
to Big Willies, mansion and swimmin' pool, got 'em!
now Bush an' Bin Laden got so much they rotten!
cats are robbin' each other for this rare resource,
i ain't even gotta drill it spill it par for the course"

-Bavu Blakes, excerpt from "Black Gold"

i've been following Mr. Blakes since 2001, when i lived in Austin, going to the Hip Hop Humpday every wednesday (as you might expect), watching this incredible emcee freestyle rhyming with other local cats for hours with a fresh live band (aaahhh, austin. gotta love it.) and had bought a couple of his records, and been impressed with his wordplay and presence on the mic...
anyways, i bought Bavu's Spring 2006 Collector's Edition compilation a few weeks ago (which came in handy, because i've had to suffer through the horror of commuting to my temp job)...

this cat is AMAZING!!! he does exactly what i want a rapper to do: write thoughtful, serious rhymes and spit 'em over diverse beats. he is as prolific as they come, doing guest shots on albums and mixtapes all over the state, and he's worked his way into the favor of Bun B, Paul Wall, the D.O.C. by writing smart rhymes that don't go over the heads of his listeners, while still pleasing the educated ears of rap-nerds like yours truly!

anyways, this cat is the TRUTH!!! i mention him all the time, but right now, i'm TELLING you... check him out NOW. his music is getting better and better! he is a LOCK to blow up eventually, and you wanna be one of the ones who knew about him before it happened.

holla!
samax.

sketchBook Allstars!

it's a done deal!
ya boy (aka me) has been added to the line-up over at Sketchbook All-Stars... haul bootay over there and peep some drawings by me (my CAPE Sketches are on there, but i'll be postin' more new junk over there periodically...) and lotsa other ILL cats who humble me by lettin' me play in'a dere san'box!

anyways, check 'em (or US!) out...
holla!
samax.

Pencilism

yoh!
in the spirit of sharing and open communication you've come to expect from ghettoManga, i wanna take a minute to big up my man Pencilism!
"He does more drawing before 5 a.m. than most people do all day"
for real though... he's NICE wit his! i've run into this cat on just about every message board, blog and networking site i've been on...
slide over to his website and check him out...
holla!
samax.

Blade is Shifty...

as you may know, there will be a new Blade teevee show on SpikeTV... i knew that, but i didn't know he'd be played by Sticky Fingaz from ONYX...

i don't even know what to say!!
another blogger posted an interview with Sticky HERE, so i won't bother with any more commentary on that...

peep this ONYX profile some dude made...

"SHIFTY! LOWDOWN, GRITTY, AND GRIIIIIMMEY!"

ah... that was fun...
holla!
samax.

then came the Dawn!

normally, i feel like i have to say something clever about everything... screw all that, man!
just check out
Dawn Okoro.
her Art is fresh...
that's it. she's clever, so i don't hafta be!

holla!
samax.

If It Ain't Broke...

there's something to be said for the classic formats:
the three act structure.
the simple black suit.
the emcee/frontman, deejay/producer.
it worked for eric b. and rakim, kool g rap and polo, guru and premier, prodigy and havoc...
now we got blueprint and rjd2, better known as Soul Position.

but i'm getting ahead of myself...the email went somethin' like this:

from: I'mSoVain
subject: Soul Position?
"yo samax! we gotta hang out! you goin' to that Soul Position show at Haley's?"

from: Amen
RE: Soul Position?
haley's in Denton?i don't know who Soul Position is. are they tight?how much is it? lemme know what's up.

from: I'mSoVain
RE:RE: Soul Position?
S.P. is Blueprint and RJD2.it's $10 or something. even YOU can afford that (witcho broke a$$)!you need to come out!

...so i was like... Blueprint, Blueprint... where have i heard that name before..?

OH YEAH!! he did a song on Mars iLL's second joint (Backbreakanomics), and Vast Aire's solo debut (look, ma no hands)... he's pretty fresh. and RJD2's music speaks for itself... i'll check 'em out!
and soooo...

Soul Position holds down the tradition of the two man, beats+rhyme crew QUITE nicely! i'm well known for being the only person at a packed show who has never bought the records of the acts on stage, but hollerin' with 'em, participating in the show, rockin' the call-and-response, and ALL that like their #1 fan...IF the show is tight...

it was. (and their opener, michigan native One Be Lo was tight,too...) from what i could glean from my extensive internet research (i.e. google...) they have two full length records out, 2003's 8,000,000 Stories their new one, Things Go Better With RJ and Al.

based on the stage show i saw and the music i've heard since, this is a crew to watch!
holla!
samax.

Advent Children...

please tell me ya'll've been checkin' out Advent Children!!
these trailers have the illest animation i've seen in a minute!
i can't tell you much, 'cause i just found out about it myself!

check it out here!

Better Than YOUR Favorite SuperHero Comic...

yeah, that's right! Invincible is probably the best superhero comic on the planet!
at least, that's what it says above the title... anyways, this book is the joint! it started out as "What If Superman and Lois had a teenage son who's powers just kicked in?"
now, it's a whole lot more! now it's "What if Superman was your Dad, only he's really evil and has secretly been plotting to take over the world, then he killed the Justice League, beat you to a pulp then left the planet, only to trick you into coming into space and liberating an alien world where he banged a creepy bug chick and gave you that baby brother you always wanted, only he's green and stuff, and now Dad wants your help saving this planet from other members of Dad's race, who really are superpowerful, world-smashing galactic conquerors? and oh yeah, you have a fly girlfriend back home..."

yeah, something like that.

so anyways, it's the bomb! Invincible is a book you MIGHT wanna check out. it's the highest selling Image comic since a little thing called Spawn, whatever that is... start by going to a comic shop or bookstore and copping the first 120 page trade Invincible: Family Matters, or if you REALLY trust me (and why wouldn't you?), cop
Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)... which collects the first THIRTEEN issues (that's a lotta readin'...)!
or you can just loiter at Borders, B+N, or where ever they have comfy chairs and read it... (like i do! son is broke!)

holla!
samax.

WHAT'S MY NAME! ...nah, really, what's my name?

Those cats at Stones Throw want your help in naming the album they're doing with Adult Swim. The album will have new tracks from Madvillain, Dilla, Madlib, Oh No, and just about the whole Stones Throw crew. They've got everything except a title.

Check out the contest:

NAME ME: STONES THROW/ADULT SWIM CD

holla!

samax.

another CAPE sketch

"Sleeping Tiger" by samax. c. 2006 samaxAmen (f.u.p.m.)
okay, so at the con on saturday, the cutest little girl in Texas history walks up to my table, holds out her sketchbook and says:
"Can you draw me somethin'?"
i reply "what do you want me to draw?" through my wall-to-wall grin (i luh da kids!)...
"Can you draw me a tiger?"

kid wants a tiger. so here it is. i forgot to photograph it (D'OH!) but her dad emailed me the picture today (WOO-HOO!)... hope ya'll like it.
you can peep the rest of the sketches she got here
holla!
samax.

my CAPE sketches...

as you may know, saturday was FREE COMICBOOK DAY.
i went to CAPE at zeus comics here in dallas, where me and my boys did sketches for the fans. i did the sketches for free as part of the festivities, but some fans were greatful enough to break me off a cash donation anyways (thanks ya'll! love!)... at any rate, here's the fruits of my labor:

"I Am Vengeance..."

batman. i started the day off right with this sketch of the dark knight

"Great Power, Great Responsibility"

my favorite superHero, the Amazing Spiderman...

"Real Recognize Real"

to show that comics fans have impeccable taste... a teenager had me draw indie hipHop legend MF DOOM

"This Looks Like A Job For..."

Superman, the Original SuperHero.

"And The Truth Will Make You Free."

my favorite sketch of the day, my first ever drawing of wonder woman.

all sketches were done with pencil, sharpies, micron .08 pen, and crayola color pencils...

peace, fam...

samax.

Make it Deux what it Deux, baby...

okay... i went to the L.A. Symphony show last night... good show. the group that puts these together, a new crew called Neva Dug Disco works hard to get the word out. anyways, LA Symph was dope, as was Playdough who opened for 'em (among others. NDD puts a grip'a acts per bill), but this post is all about the group that came with LA Symph from California: Deux Process.

they rocked the mic right! i really wanted to buy their ceedee, but alas, i am just UNDER broke right now, so i hadta settle for wildin' out front and center during their set. anyways, rather than blather on, i'll direct you to their mySpace profile, where you can peep their music, and check for tour dates...

holla!
samax.

G-G-G Gay Unit?

in the local paper today, there was an article about mobb deep, and how they are loving being on 50 cent's label, G-unit... that's all whatever. hopefully Mobb will make some long money out of it. apparently, 50 gave the queensbridge duo brand new porsches as "welcome to the family" gifts. but it gets deeper: Prodigy sports a new "G-unit" tattoo on his right hand, and Fitty got a "Mobb Deep" tatted on his left arm.
is it just me, or is that kinda gay? getting dude's group tatted on your body? what are you gonna do if the deal doesn't work out? this is a record deal, not a marriage (and even those have a higher than 50% failure rate...)!

okay... i know i'm not gangsta and stuff, so maybe that's all this is. i've never been a huge fan, but i do recognize Mobb Deep is a very important band to a lotta hip hoppers out there (i'm a little bit confused by a 2 man crew having the name "Mobb Deep"... but that's beside the point), plus the "Shook Ones" records are undoubtable classics. Prodigy and Havoc have proven themselves with immortal records, so they are due this payday...

but the tattoos? somebody explain this to me...
anyways, to show you i'm not a TOTAL hater, here's where you can download their stuff free! or cop it the old fashioned way here!

peace.
samax.

Universal Magnetic, YOU mus respect it!!!

if you're anything like me, you're starvin' for NEW tracks by the THE MIGHTY MOS DEF!
no luck there fam... but what's the next best thing?


OLD TRACKS BY THE MIGHTY MOS DEF!

Dj Neros of TNS Productions feels your pain! he hooked up a FRESH mos def mix fa ya...
so do what i did: go to his myspace page, listen to about ten seconds before you realize you can download his mos def mix for free!


holla!
samax.

Hydro Anyone..?

i had a really good weekend... for starters, i went to the realease party for Hydroponic Soundsytem's Mixtape Mentality. it was easily the best show i've been to all year (yep. better than blackalicious...). everybody knows i have just come to admit i have a serious mixtape addiction (if you don't know what a mixtape is, lemme know and i'll do an educational blog...); even though i am chronicly broke, i have copped maybe 6 mixtapes over the past couple months, and this one is a banger!

MM has multiple appearences by the inimitable Bavu Blakes (including a collabo with Myone of the StrangeFruit Project that is worth the price of the disk all by itself!), Headkrack, Keynote, MYK and a slew of other fresh lyricists you never heard of!

the beats, which were described by celebrity shout-outer [can't do a mixtape without celebrity shout-outters...]Erykah Badu as "Jeep Jazz", are to DIE for.
go to the Hydro myspace page and sample the natural belnd of hip hop goodness...

peace!
samax.