This is it everyone. This is post #100. After two years, I have finally reached this great milestone. First, I want to thank my brother Fly Guy ’89 for assisting me. He has done great work himself on here. Second, I want to thank the readers. Your comments and hits keep me going. Third, I want to thank the Lord for giving me great knowledge and the power go on.

Post 100 is something special. I wanted it to be right. I didn’t know what it should be. I thought to myself should I just write another opinion essay, post a list of great posts or make a video to post? After going back and forth for three months, I came up with the idea to interview a group of people I admire, a group who goes unheard of from time to time. These people are journalists. One became a mentor to me. He got me into the world of journalism. I was shy to introduce myself to another when I saw her at the XXL offices. And the last one I finally got to meet at a concert I helped put on at the college I graduated from. I love the work all three of them have done. I read them over and over. I also discussed them with others. I even used one’s work in my Senior Thesis. I want thank them for getting me the opportunity to interview them. They talked about 2009, this past decade, the future and their career. Check it out. Enjoy. -Danny Tejada

Starrene Rhett is a freelance writer/editor/producer. She has written for The Amsterdam News, HoneyMag.com, XXL Magazine, Roc 4 Life, Elemental Magazine, Scrips Howard Newswire, and VibeVixen.com.

Paul Cantor is a freelance journalist for magazines and the web, occasionally freelance in television production, sell beats, help produce concerts and consult. He was the former Technology Editor at Scratch Magazine, Scratch Mag blogger (XXLMag.com), blogger for MTV.com and over the past six years has written for XXL, King, Vibe, Complex.com, Allhiphop.com and more.

Rob Markman is the Deputy Editor at XXL magazine. He has written for The Source, Vibe, Complex, Scratch, Don Diva and the New York Post.


Danny: What was the best moment of your career?

Paul Cantor: As a writer, the best moment of my career so far was traveling to Frankfurt, Germany to attend the Musikmesse trade show in 2007. This was when I was working at Scratch. I was able to attend the show with a good friend, Geoff Martin, who sold ads at Harris Publications. While there we met some folks at the trade show and got to talking, and we ended up hanging with them later that evening, traveling into the German suburbs to their makeshift recording studio. Later that week I attended a concert for Joy Denalane, a huge German singer who I’ve produced a song for on her last LP. I got to see her perform the song live, and she thanked me for producing the song from the stage. So it was a synthesis of many things coming together at once for me.

Rob Markman: There are so many. There is nothing like seeing your byline in print for the first time. But if I had to pick one, it was being a part of XXL’s December 2008 issue, that was the second Freshman issue which introduced Wale, Asher Roth and Kid Cudi to the world.

Starrene Rhett: It was when I got hired at XXL. I wanted to work there since college and getting there was interesting. Basically, I was initially supposed to be a web editor but the position fell thru. Months later, when I thought it was a done deal, I got the call that they need an editorial assistant. It was a step down for me but I wanted to be there so bad that I sucked it up and ended up moving up quickly.


Danny: What was the best moment of your career?

Starrene Rhett: One was a piece I did on Bulimia amongst women of color for Honey Mag and the other was a video profile I did of a femcee named Atlas.

Rob Markman: In 2009, I’d have to say my 50 Cent Jan/Feb cover story or the feature I wrote on J. Cole in XXL's October issue. There was also a Gucci Mane interview I did in XXL's May issue. He was locked up and we did that interview from jail. I remember asking Gucci with all of his success why he was still going in and out of jail. He said that he had learned his lesson this time. But apparently he hasn't. The 50 Cent was my first major cover story, plus it’s 50 cent. Dude is larger than life. I remember I asked him about the Young Buck crying incident and 50 really downplayed it. You can tell that he and Buck actually had a real friendship and there falling out really effected Fif. As far as the J. Cole story goes, I just really like how it came out.

But my absolute favorite story of 2009, had to be “Still Ill” the making of Nas’ Illmatic which appeared in XXL’s April 2009 issue. It was great to be able to write that along with the rest of the staff that pitched in.

Paul Cantor: In 2009, I think the best work I did was a feature I wrote on Gee and Hip-Hop, which I actually finished at the end of 08, but didn’t get published until 2009. It was probably the best not because of anything I wrote, but more so the timing of it all. Between the months I wrote the piece and the time it got published, Hip-Hop got fired from his job at Columbia Records, and the entire theme of the piece- how these 2 executives were recession proof- had to change. Really just hammered home how fast the bricks were tumbling down in the record business.


Danny: Who had the best year in 2009?

Rob Markman: To me, Drake had an awesome year. He’s accomplished so much.

Starrene Rhett: Nicki Minaj. She got really popular, really fast and managed to be touted as the savior of female hip-hop despite the fact that there are other marketable femcees who are more talented. No knock to Nicki but she isn’t as remarkable as people make her out to be. Yet she has a huge following of men and women. That’s really, really hard for a woman to do in hip-hop.

Paul Cantor: The Black Eyed Peas. To the best of my knowledge, they set two billboard chart records for “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Got A Feeling,” both of them being on the charts the longest, and at the same time no less. They performed at Oprah’s season opener in Chicago in front of like 50 thousand people and their record sold multi-platinum. On top of that “I Got A Feeling,” essentially a pop song, had even the hardest set of criminals singing the refrain in the club. That was just a song that really spoke to people. In a year that was pretty disastrous for just about everyone, it was a cheery bit of hip-pop that gave you a little glimmer of hope...this notion that hey, everything’s pretty fucked up, but tonight’s gonna be a good night.


Danny: What was your favorite album of 2009? If it is a Rap album, what was your favorite non-Rap album? It if is a non-Rap album, what was your favorite Rap album?

Paul Cantor: Favorite album of 09 was Miike Snow’s self titled album which is non-rap. I don’t think I have a favorite rap album, maybe Man On The Moon: The End Of Day or The Blueprint 3.

Starrene Rhett: My favorite rap album of ‘09 was Tiye Phoenix’s Half Woman Half Amazin and for non rap...Electrik Red’s How to Be a Lady. How to Be A Lady wasn’t the best thing I’ve heard in life, but I like their edge and the types of songs. Tiye Phoenix is a beast. That was a CLASSIC album.

Rob Markman: Well technically Drake’s So Far Gone is a mixtape, but that was my favorite. I also thought Rick Ross’s Deeper Than Rap was one of the best projects of the year as well as Raekwon’s OB4CL2 and J. Cole’s The Warm Up mixtape. As far as non-rap goes, I really liked Trey Songz’s Ready. Oh and the Clipse had an amazing album as well.


Danny: What album and/or artist did people sleep on in 2009?

Starrene Rhett: Tiye Phoenix, K'Naan. Troubadour was good too but people don’t like to hear that shit.

Paul Cantor: MOP’s Foundation. That was a very dope album, not a bad song on it. People just didn’t embrace it at all, didn't even know it came out, post Roc-a-Fella, post G-Unit...their first official LP since the year 2000 and... nothing.

Rob Markman: It’s hard to consider anybody slept-on these days. It seems with the blogs and the internet overall that every artists has a built in fan base. So I can tell you that Pill was slept-on, but then he has a crazy following online that will say that they’ve been around since day one. That being said I think folks are sleeping on U-N-I, Pac Div and The Incomparable Shakespeare.


Danny: What was your favorite mixtape of 2009?

Starrene Rhett: This cat Redhead put out a mixtape series called Steady Building which I liked. Oh and Mae Day. She did a Sade themed mixtape. I thought that was a dope concept.

Paul Cantor: Lil Wayne’s No Ceilings.


Danny: What are some under the radar artists you listen to who should get some shine?

Paul Cantor: Theo Martins, Theophilus London, Gordon Voidwell, Ninjasonik, Jay Electronica, BK Cyph, The Kickdrums, The Knux and Smoke DZA.

Starrene Rhett: Tiye Phoenix, Niki Ntu, Nola Darling, Redhead, Malik-16 and B.o.B. I thought he was going to blow but it didn’t quite happen that way. Oh and this singer named Shyvonne. She’s dope. Fresh Daily and Homeboy Sandman as well.


Danny: What are you looking forward to in 2010?

Rob Markman: I’m looking forward to hearing Kanye rap again. I’m looking forward to Drake’s debut album, as well as Nicki Minaj. It’s dope that we finally have a prominent female voice back in hip-hop. On the print side, I’m just interested in being apart of more cutting edge stories.

Paul Cantor: I’m looking forward to more artists in the Kid Cudi mold breaking through, not necessarily in terms of the fashion or the movement, but more so musically....guys who are open to embracing new sounds and incorporate aspects of rapping in their music (and can definitely rap), but bring a lot of melody and different flows to the table. Great songwriters. Someone like a Theophilus London, for example.

Starrene Rhett: Hopefully more music, not necessarily original because there’s nothing new under the sun but real music and not anthems with asinine hooks and beats by DJ Brain Dead. Dancing along is fine, but everything is so microwaved. I’m like can somebody put something on the stove and let it cook for Sunday dinner. That’s all. Oh and as far as rappers, less beef. No, less INTERNET beef. It’s dumb. I haven’t seen a good beef since Jay and Nas. And anyone who beefs with Soulja Boy is automatically lame especially men over 30.


Danny: Who had the best decade in the 2000’s?

Starrene Rhett: Rihanna. She went from being wack, frumpy teeny bopper to Cover Girl with Platinum hits over night. People love her robot voice *Kanye shrug* Oh and let’s not forget the drastic style change.

Rob Markman: That’s hard to say. The last decade saw the emergence of some pretty big stars. 50 and Kanye West are the two biggest if you ask me.

Paul Cantor: Jay-Z. He basically started the decade with a hit and ended it with one- in the middle he married the baddest bitch in the game; survived (and arguably won) a battle with his only contemporary from the late 90s era of rap, Nas; sold millions of records on pretty much every album he dropped; released at least one top10 hip-hop LP, The Blueprint; had a lot of success with his own label, then ran Def Jam, broke Rihanna and Ne-yo, among others and became a clothing mogul as well.


Danny: What was your favorite album from this past decade?

Paul Cantor: That’s a question I probably couldn’t answer off top. If I had to answer now, just thinking out loud, I'd probably have to say The Blueprint (and note: I'm not a Jay-Z stan by any stretch of the imagination). Wait, actually I got it. Supreme Clientele is my favorite album this past decade.

Rob Markman: That’s a tough one. 50’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is up there as well as Jay’s Blueprint and Kanye’s Graduation. I can’t forget Usher’s Confessions either.

Starrene Rhett: Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah. Funny thing is I was like wtf at first. Then one day I listened to it and I don’t know why but a switch flipped and I was like [insert mo'nique voice here] yaaaaas. [Laughs] I just really like it, the sound. It’s different without trying.


Danny: What was your life like ten years ago?

Starrene Rhett: I was in high school. It was pretty care free, I’d say. Didn’t worry about bills. Just went to dance class. Took music in school. It was a performing arts school. I hung out a lot with friends and obviously college was on the horizon. I was trying to figure out where I was going to go. I like the freedom of adulthood, but I miss those days too.

Paul Cantor: Ten years ago around this time exactly, I was 17 years old, senior in high school. I pretty much played varsity basketball and hung out with my girlfriend. I was preparing to go away for college, not really sure about what I wanted to do with my life exactly, but knowing deep in my heart that if I got a chance to, I would like to be involved with music someway. I was a very popular dude throughout high school but by the time I was a senior in high school I was already starting to become a big time learner, spent a lot of time reading, writing and making music. Just a side note to that: I didn’t really write much at all then, no school newspaper, nada. I also bought most albums that came out pretty much weekly.

Rob Markman: Ten years ago, I was still in college and working in a mailroom. But my life wasn’t too much different; I always worked hard and listened to way too much hip-hop.


Danny: What do you think is in store for this decade?

Paul Cantor: I wish I could say some nice things but unfortunately things don't look good. Right now the economy is propped up by artificial government assistance and people are hurting. Kids and adults seem more concerned with twittering than looking both ways before they cross the street. The media and music businesses are in shambles and the bottom line trumps all, so you can kiss anything substantial goodbye in that respect. Our country is also still engaged in troop-assisting situations internationally and until that situation rights itself, things are going to be hectic. On the bright side technology is booming and information is abundant. People are talking to each other globally at the push of a button and the sum of all knowledge seems to be almost available via google search. Pretty amazing.

I expect a lot of that to continue...the smart phone will replace the laptop. Hip-Hop will continue to wither away. Pop music will dominate for another 3-5 years. Obama will right his ship and no news will be available online unless you pay for it.

Rob Markman: I know we’re gonna see new business models and new ways to do things when it comes to music. The actual music will be fine, people will always listen to music, but the way they consume will change. The way that music is marketed, promoted and sold will ultimately change.

Starrene Rhett: Hopefully a turn around in the way people think like people keep thinking 2012 is this dooms day. Not so much. Hopefully this recession will turn around so I can get a damn job again, but people really need to start learning from the past and not repeating it. The recession was the result of people perpetuating the same old system, being selfish and turning a blind eye to the pot that was boiling over. People are opposing Obama because he’s smart enough to realize that change is needed and is actually acting on that. Yet people just don’t want to change. They’re so comfortable with the way things are. I see that happening with the web too.

It’s just...the music we get is crap. The entertainment period that we get is crap because people expect that. Hopefully overall, people will stop talking about a turn around, see that they contribute to the problems and really do something about it.

As for music, I think it will be the same as it’s been. The only difference we might experience this year as far as hip-hop is Nicki Minaj’s female energy but that’s about it unless toward the end of the year, a veteran drops a project that is actually relevant not just to their old fans, but that can pick up new ones. In terms of this decade as a whole, I think the music industry will figure it out and maybe people will develop a more progressive frame of mind in general.


Danny: Do you have any fun, funny, or interesting journalistic stories?

Starrene Rhett: I tried to hide from Common in a private studio session but it was really awkward because he caught me. Basically, he was previewing the last album he dropped. There were about 12 people in the room with him but it was so intimate. Actually, I tried to hide twice only look stupid Not for nothing, he laughed at me. The first instance was when we were walking into the studio. He stood at the door and greeted everyone. So I tried to slide in real quick and he touched my arm like “Hey sis.” I said hi real quick and ran into the corner and ducked behind a speaker but you could still see me. Once everyone was in he wanted us to be comfortable and take seats.

I tried to stay behind the speaker but he specifically wanted me in the front. D'oh! So I sat there and there was some really seductive song playing, it think was “Sex for Sugar,” and he started rapping it to me. So I took my sidekick and put it in front of my face and he bust out laughing. I had a crush on him. *shrugs* Mind you, he called me “Shy girl” at the end. I finally got over it and managed to talk to him a little bit once people were clearing out. We were talking about music. But the last thing he said to me was “Bye, shy girl.”

Rob Markman: I remember one time I was at Busta Rhymes’ listening session. It ended up being like a 4 hour session. He played EVERYTHING that he made for his Back on My B.S. album. He was still finalizing the track listing and wanted some journalists to weigh in on it. We must've heard 30 Busta Rhymes songs that night. So before we know it it’s like 1 am. And my wife called me like “Where you at? You can’t still be at work.” So I told her that I was at a listening and I’m not quite sure if she believed me. Busta offered to talk to her and smooth things over, but I told him that it wasn’t necessary. I got home and everything was cool, no problems. The day after Busta calls me at the crib like, “yo homie, I’m just calling to check in on you. Is wifey mad at you? Did I get you in trouble?” That was pretty funny. Busta is a good dude!

Paul Cantor: Post-MTV I agreed to do some Q&As for allhiphop.com. Foxy Brown was one of them. Somehow I got roped into having to do it in person. She had just gotten out of jail. I had to go to her hotel room late like 1am, after spending an entire night waiting for time and location. I went there, the chick didn’t want to be tape recorded, needed to write her answers down. Before you know it, it’s 3am and she’s falling asleep. So I have to come back the next night. Get there next night, there’s a phantom parked outside the trump hotel. Get inside, interview her for an hour then she says she’s retiring.

After that she tells me to stop and asks me if she can do the whole interview over. The phone rings, apparently a journalist from XXL was being sent up. She answers the door, puts on this whole girly girl attitude, right in front of me and her manager guy that was there. Clearly, you can tell from this that she had some sort of media training. If you think for a second she’s just a nice person, you’re fooling yourself. Now she asks again if we can do interview over. I decline. She gets mad, starts yelling. I tell her I’m good, that I’m leaving. She tries to get in front of me. At this point, I consider just mushing her but opt not to. Manager guy gets up. They say I can’t leave with the tape of her. I delete the interview in front of them then leave.

She’s screaming the whole time, saying she’s the female Jay-Z and that I'll never work in this town again to which I’m just kinda chuckling. I bounced. Really thinking nothing of it, I just walk out the hotel, manager guy runs after me and apologizes for her, says she’s crazy and begs me not to write anything bad about her. I tell him I could care less, that it’s just a check for me (a small one at that, which is why I got up and left in the first place). He confesses that he’s not a manager, that he's really a car rental guy and she rented the phantom from him to pull up to XXL in for her XXL cover shoot. I laughed. We give each other a pound. I go home to sleep. The end.