Did Ya Miss Me?!

What’s up folks? Sure, I bet some of you are thinkin’, “damn, this dude Lee has been awful slim with the journal entries lately”. True indeed. But, that’s because, rather than bore you with mediocrity, I choose to deliver ya’ll shit to tickle the funny bone or provoke thought. Haven’t really been feelin’ too prolific lately, which is wild because I ain’t prolific anyways. However, I figured I’d ramble a bit and let you know what’s been on my mind lately...

1. Babylon Songs- Awesome book penned by me. Not saying that to sound conceited or to drum up business, just truly feel that way about the joint. The dilemma is, I don’t know whether or not I’m going to do another set any time soon. Why? Well, to cook up 50 books meant I had to fork over $435 bones, and that ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at. The reason it was so much is because the book is a good 170+ pages and the main reason is the cover is in color. The cover itself cost $130 to print up which is outrageous when you think about the fact anybody would have the audacity to charge somebody $130 for 50 sheets of paper. Alas, I did it because it was a labor of love and I didn’t want to compromise on my vision. The charging folks $15 bones was mandatory because to sell it hand to hand for $10 would mean I would have to sell all 50 books just to turn a $65 profit. Ridiculous. Therefore, I had to sell it for $15, which is actually the sale price, just like Meta/for You. The thing was, with Meta/for You I was giving folks the good $5 discount off the hand to hand business because I ain’t greedy, and it sounds and feels good to say and do…”On- ly 10 Do- llars?! $15 for the book in the store minus 40% the stores take, is less than $10 hand to hand anyway, so then you have to deliberate: Store is generally a wider potential market, but hand to hand is more lucrative and personal.
In all honesty, I hate marketing my own shit…if I had a distribution deal and I fucked with you like that, I’d probably slip you a book. Although, I feel ya folks should be the first to support ya ass, not ask for a hookup (I’m feelin’ ya For’Nique), but that’s another subject.
Sidebar Tangent #1: I just feel that if ya boy is selling something, you should support him if that’s ya man. If ya’ll cool, then hey, that’s at your discretion. You shouldn’t be askin for a hookup or price cut, because that’s ya man (or ya girl ?). In fact, if it’s ya girl or ya man, chances are they know your financial status anyway. I just think it’s better for them to suggest giving you a break or a freebie, than you askin’…but that’s Lee the Artist speaking, there.
So, anyways…here I am with a really dope book in venues where folks buy CD’s for $10. It’s a hard road to go, but everybody who has copped that book and actually read it frickin’ loves it, man. The irony is, with the suspect printing f the first batch, and the free copies I gave away on some “I think they need to read this” type shit, I still am in the hole something terrible. It’s just really hard to do something really dope, and everybody sleep on it. Like, I was a bit salty when I dropped Meta/for You and heads slept, but this is different. This time I know this is a dope book, I just don’t feel it’s a dope book. This must be how Jay Z felt when he did Reasonable Doubt, man. I ain’t tryin’ to be no Vincent Van Gogh, y’heard? I blow up after I’m gone, na’ buddy!
Sidebar Tangent #2: Oh, back to the free thing…if you did get a free book from me and actually had the decency to read it, please click here and do an honest book review.

2. Family Reunion- Yep, like most black families…time around the 4th of You Lie (July) is family reunion time. I’m really happy because my family has been struggling to get back to this type of yearly celebration since my grandmother passed back in ’95. This to me is the real deal. The last couple of reunions were basically test runs. But we’re getting together to do this whole migration thing down south and everything, so I’m really frickin’ happy about that. One way or the other, this will be a memorable trip. I wish I had a laptop so I could post blogs on the road, man… The road trip alone is going to be hilarious, cuz.

3. My Venue Behavior- Okay, some may have noticed I have been extra silly in venues like Java Head and Urban Energy. For the record, part of that’s just how I am, and part od that is social anxiety. I don’t do well with a bunch of people sometimes…I’m anti- social. Yep, believe it or not it’s true. So, understand that I do act a bit extra sometimes because I don’t want to be moody towards anyone if they don’t deserve it. It’s just a little weird when I come into spots now and people announce me like I’m on the red carpet and shit like that. Don’t sleep, I recognize it’s love and I truly appreciate it…it’s just sometimes I feel awkward because of it. I don’t know, people say, “Hey, it’s Lee the Poet!” (which lunches me out) and I almost feel like I gotta break out into a jig or something. Now, not askin’ anybody to change their get down, do you, just letting you know that I’m just stuck trying to adjust sometimes. Granted, sometimes I’m just being a silly mu’fucka and you happened to just be there. I’m not responsible for my actions if Femi, Sir Reigns, or Metaphor are present. They are well versed in bringing the fool outta me. Oh, and King Cipher, simply because he thinks he can crack jokes on my level…
Sidebar Tangent #3: Here’s a little secret about a lot of Virgo’s…we hate to receive attention for shit we didn’t really do, or to be put on blast “Just because”. We do love the meaning behind it, but it often makes us uncomfortable. However, WE HATE, when we do some shit and someone else gets credited for it….Virgo pet peeve…we’re weird that way. Sometimes it’s better to quietly acknowledge us than to overtly do so and get us in a tizzy…but, even I don’t know when some of those times are, so there.
4. CD’s @ Venues- Okay, I’ma make this one short! Fuck CD’s!!! Why? Well, because some jokers will sell you CD’s for $5 with one track on them and not tell you. Shit, I’m the type to support…a rare breed I admit, but don’t try and get me, you fucker you! Other joker will sell you a CD for $7 when less than a week ago they were $5. Let’s not mention that I told them all th spots to go to sell their shit, or the fact both CD’s mentioned were burned off a computer. Why sell somebody something you didn’t put your all into. Bad business. Oh, and that $7 CD only had 3 tracks on it fucker. That shit is something to make me not want to know or support your ass. We shook hands, I try to show you love…and that’s how you do it. You’re shit ain’t even a maxi single and you sellin’ it for how much?!
Oh, the latest kicker is this cat who sold me a joint I borrowed $10 bones from the big homie Bru to cop. We both copped it because we wanted this one song this cat performed, which he assured both of us was on there. That song was not on there. The CD was alright from what I heard, tho’ Track 14 was dope, so at least he has a CD’s worth of material, but damn. Business etiquette. No love unless you my folks, man. Fuck that…shiiiiiiiiiiiit!
So there ya’ll go…hope that makes up for some of my lackluster blogs and the fact I may not be blogging after Wednesday until next Monday. Still love ya’ll like play cousins, tho’
Eye Will Holla