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once again... HOW TO ACT.
2 hours ago
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ol Dirty Bastard Tribute Show Live in Minneapolis!
Yes one of the illest entertainers in rap will be honored properly with this special tribute show which I will be performing at! In honor and preperation I will do my best to post some dope odb related things on here (crossing mine and your fingers)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Stick Man of Minneapolis
If you're from Minneapolis you have all seen him, outside of shows, liquor stores and walking around town with his stick and a pocket full of markers. My friends and I know him as "Stick Man" but I'm sure there are other names floating around for him. He's the guy that stands outside and makes sure everyone that passes him signs his coat, stick, hat, umbrella, bowls or any other random object he finds; and if you can spare the change, it's only a bonus.
I have a lot of love for this man because every time I encounter him he is especially positive and warm, even in the worst Minnesota weather, he maintains his positivity and that is something I have always admired and keeps me going on rough days.
In this video Freez and I, find him at Zipp's liquor in Seward, hangin out askin folks to sign, and as you can see from the video, Freez and I did our job while he riddled off how many objects he's had signed and his attempts to get in the guiness book of world records. This man probably has a huge collection of Minneapolis history on his back, literally. Enjoy.
I have a lot of love for this man because every time I encounter him he is especially positive and warm, even in the worst Minnesota weather, he maintains his positivity and that is something I have always admired and keeps me going on rough days.
In this video Freez and I, find him at Zipp's liquor in Seward, hangin out askin folks to sign, and as you can see from the video, Freez and I did our job while he riddled off how many objects he's had signed and his attempts to get in the guiness book of world records. This man probably has a huge collection of Minneapolis history on his back, literally. Enjoy.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Official Photos for the Franz Diego CD Release show up and Exclusive mix made for show up for free download! now!
That's right, the release was a success and some awesome photos came out of it. My homegirl on the come up Cheryl Stinson took all of them, so if you need work, holler at her!
Also, my homeboy DJ Miguel Vargas made a special mix exclusively for the release show which is now available for download, tracklist is below.
DOWNLOAD FREE MIX FOR FRANZ DIEGO CD RELEASE SHOW HERE: http://divshare.com/download/8467636-403
Monday, October 19, 2009
Illuminous 3 Featured on The March of Time, Free Download!
That's right, Pwelbs.com and The Airtime Collection have released a new compilation featuring the best of the Midwest underground and Illuminous 3 Landed our track "BYOB" on it! This track is a preview to our new project that will be available for free download in the next couple months so stay tuned and in the meantime get over to Pwelbs.com and download this compilation!
Go here:
http://www.pwelbs.com
Go here:
http://www.pwelbs.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Best review of my album so far!
Peep it out: http://612to651.com/2009/10/02/franzdiego-com-–-franz-diego-2009/
It’s a strong statement to Franz Diego’s character, both as an MC and as a person, that the first words you hear on his debut full-length are about other folks. “This one goes to all the people who helped me who/ nurtured my growth and kept me so healthy,” he speaks on the album’s opening song, “Quest for Self.” The South-Side reppin, boombox-carryin’, dookie-rope rockin’ MC, who prides himself not just on his own skills, but on a dedication to communities both within and beyond hip-hop.
Franz’s words are a mix of swagger (“Nokomis Kid” and “Par Le Vu FranzD” “ vulnerability (“Quest for Self,” “Cloudy Day,” “Father Song) and lady-lovin’ (“Pretty,” “MVD,” “Discipline,” and “Grenadine,” and righteous fire aimed at all the right targets (“Move On, “Pearly Whites,” and “Duel Citizen”).
While the whole album is a testament to Franz’s rhymin’ versatility, it’s this last group of songs on the album that really makes it, and its creator, stand out. Burnished with an alley-wailin’ noir saxophone, “Move On” views the difficulty, yet necessity, of living consciously in the face of people who could care less. “Times gettin’ rough,” he says, “but we treat it like it’s casual.”
The target of “Pearly Whites” is a similar one, as a plodding, almost herd-like beat [undergirds] Franz’s derision of those who exchange thoughts of speakin’ truth to power “for the almighty dollar,” politicians and non-politicians alike who live only to “Shake a hand, shake a hand/Show them pearly whites.” Closing repetitions of “spend money” of “keep smilin’” offer a satirically grim coda.
Finally, a dope semantic flip of Slick Rick’s line from “I Own America” becomes the heart of “Duel Citizen,” a ferocious critique of xenophobia and anti-immigrant hysteria. While Ruler’s talkin’ about his own deportation when he says “Even if I got deported/I own America,” Franz and producer FireLikeWater refunction his words to stress not that immigrants, refugees, and indigenous need “room” made for them, but that such superficial attempts at change and integration only mask, and hence perpetuate, devastating social inequities. In the end, Franz demands that his listeners “open your eyes right now and start witnessin’” because, without all of the immigrants, refugees, and indigenous folks living in artificial borders, “this country wouldn’t be shit.”
Franz’s extensive work as a community organizer in and through hip-hop, both on his own and with groups like Yo! The Movement, make these words much more powerful than the usual MC political posturing
All that being said, “Nokomis Kid” is definitely one of the album’s best songs even without rabble-rousin’. Jaunty piano and bass syncopations provide the basis of Franz’s audible documentary of growing up in one Twin Cities neighborhood I’ve never heard rapped about on record. With its spoken interludes fluidly blending into the verses—from tagging to dog bakeries to what would eventually become Ill 3’s Bedroom Studios—the song should go down with “Twin Cities Rap,” “The Shh Song,” “Ice Cold,” “Always Coming Home Back to You,” and “No Coast” as one of the best rap songs about the Twin Cities by somebody from the Twin Cities. While Franz would no doubt be humbled by such a statement, there shouldn’t be any disagreement.
It’s a strong statement to Franz Diego’s character, both as an MC and as a person, that the first words you hear on his debut full-length are about other folks. “This one goes to all the people who helped me who/ nurtured my growth and kept me so healthy,” he speaks on the album’s opening song, “Quest for Self.” The South-Side reppin, boombox-carryin’, dookie-rope rockin’ MC, who prides himself not just on his own skills, but on a dedication to communities both within and beyond hip-hop.
Franz’s words are a mix of swagger (“Nokomis Kid” and “Par Le Vu FranzD” “ vulnerability (“Quest for Self,” “Cloudy Day,” “Father Song) and lady-lovin’ (“Pretty,” “MVD,” “Discipline,” and “Grenadine,” and righteous fire aimed at all the right targets (“Move On, “Pearly Whites,” and “Duel Citizen”).
While the whole album is a testament to Franz’s rhymin’ versatility, it’s this last group of songs on the album that really makes it, and its creator, stand out. Burnished with an alley-wailin’ noir saxophone, “Move On” views the difficulty, yet necessity, of living consciously in the face of people who could care less. “Times gettin’ rough,” he says, “but we treat it like it’s casual.”
The target of “Pearly Whites” is a similar one, as a plodding, almost herd-like beat [undergirds] Franz’s derision of those who exchange thoughts of speakin’ truth to power “for the almighty dollar,” politicians and non-politicians alike who live only to “Shake a hand, shake a hand/Show them pearly whites.” Closing repetitions of “spend money” of “keep smilin’” offer a satirically grim coda.
Finally, a dope semantic flip of Slick Rick’s line from “I Own America” becomes the heart of “Duel Citizen,” a ferocious critique of xenophobia and anti-immigrant hysteria. While Ruler’s talkin’ about his own deportation when he says “Even if I got deported/I own America,” Franz and producer FireLikeWater refunction his words to stress not that immigrants, refugees, and indigenous need “room” made for them, but that such superficial attempts at change and integration only mask, and hence perpetuate, devastating social inequities. In the end, Franz demands that his listeners “open your eyes right now and start witnessin’” because, without all of the immigrants, refugees, and indigenous folks living in artificial borders, “this country wouldn’t be shit.”
Franz’s extensive work as a community organizer in and through hip-hop, both on his own and with groups like Yo! The Movement, make these words much more powerful than the usual MC political posturing
All that being said, “Nokomis Kid” is definitely one of the album’s best songs even without rabble-rousin’. Jaunty piano and bass syncopations provide the basis of Franz’s audible documentary of growing up in one Twin Cities neighborhood I’ve never heard rapped about on record. With its spoken interludes fluidly blending into the verses—from tagging to dog bakeries to what would eventually become Ill 3’s Bedroom Studios—the song should go down with “Twin Cities Rap,” “The Shh Song,” “Ice Cold,” “Always Coming Home Back to You,” and “No Coast” as one of the best rap songs about the Twin Cities by somebody from the Twin Cities. While Franz would no doubt be humbled by such a statement, there shouldn’t be any disagreement.
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