Life Unwritten.

“The Butterfly Effect (Soul Remix) featuring Octavio Santos” & “The Butterfly Effect featuring Jef Kearns” are the featured background songs for Rogue Magazine’s The Book Of Angels episode “Simone Linsell”.

(Source: roguemag.ca)

Alleyne & Temus talk about the meaning behind the song “Fingers & Toes (Dontae’s Theme)” from their latest album “PUSH”

“The song is about how hip hop has changed so much over the years. It went from being underground to being pop. This generation is different from the generation Temus and I grew up in. Through this song, our album and others like us we can bring the real hip-hop back…if not for this generation the next one… Enter Dontae, Temus’ son. His birth represents a new beginning, a new path so check his fingers and his toes and let’s hope that he grows…that’s pretty much the meaning behind the name of the song.” - Christopher Rudder

Fingers & Toes (Dontae’s Theme) LYRICS

(Temus)

For 2009,
everybody still looking for a chance to shine
but I just had a son and I’m feeling fine,
economic times got me on the grind.

Emotions outta control,
sometimes I get choked up, feels the tears roll
down my face, thinking about a time and place in the past,
it’s phukked up when the memoy’s flashing.

Makes me wanna press rewind,
but I find there no sense dwelling back in time
though I’d like to remince but the past don’t change
I wish that it could but is that so strange?

Now that I got my seed,
through a new path of life I got to proceed.
to the future, nothing you can do to stop time,
nothing we can do to stop crime,

Nothing you can do to stop me from dropping rhymes
or control the conscience of the mind
besides the fact that I’m keeping all my rhymes in tack,
Alleynohhh designed the track

What’s all the commotion?
tryin to keep it smooth like baby lotion
still got the shit to keep you overdosing
keep’em coming back but they call it poison

Still I’m keeping them in line with a mic check
don’t give a phukk if they like it or not
I know that it’s hot and it’s like that
you can disagree cause you got a right to fight that.

At the door you can check you bullshit
funny, just to see how ignorant fools get
eradicate the hate,
it’s the only way to elevate.

(Alleyne)

Pushed into oblivion, pushed into my thoughts again
Pushed into a generation that don’t understand where it all began
It’s so… fundamental,
connecting mental with instrumental

Beats and life, words to mics
short days and even longer nights
It’s about, life and love, loss and hate, record creates,
Grafetti, DJ’s, freestylin’ blunts, beer and buck wilin’

As a child our style was day to day,
today we living like pay to pay
I feel as though I’m in a different time,
for the kids, I wonder what we’ll leave behind…

Everybody wants to be a star,
tatooed, auto tuned and open bar
…Phat asses, super thighs,
girls half naked, drunk and high

Cars and rims, no future plans
and everybody’s no different than a grain of sand
The balcony of LimeStone faces east
watch the sun rise like the Sphinx

Their always be a mic in my hand,
musical travels, footprints in the sand
It’s funny how time flies with fun,
Over ten years of platnium albums

This goes out to Temus and his son
LimeStone’s chosen one
Count his fingers and his toes
lets hope that he grows… 

Christopher Rudder, James Mitchell (Alleyne & Temus), SOCAN, 2010

Footsteps: Journey Of An Artist “Back To Beautiful Belgrade (Beograd, Srbija)”

We take a 50 minute plane ride from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, that’s right 50 minutes. Hang out in Zagreb for a bit then the usual 8 hour train ride back to Belgrade. 

I ran into some Slum Dog Millionaire gypsy children and laughed as they tried to steal something from the vendor, watch closely…

Haha, the women are still beautiful and the food is still the best. I wanted to explore Beograd a little more. Belgrade is the capital and the largest city of Serbia. The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Belgrade has a population of 1,630,000 estimated in 2007) Its name in Serbian means White city. I could of told you that being that I’m the only black person for miles. Ha. The Cathedral of Saint Sava is the largest Orthodox cathedral on the Balkans, and one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval Serbia. 
More nice girls and more people looking at me, then we move from beauty to distruction. These building were destroyed by NATO and US forces in 1999 for Belgrades non compliance regarding the events in Kosova. Seeing this and remembering the many stories Goga told me about war, losing her home, worrying about her family started to play in my mind like and old black and white war documentary. People scared, people running i mean how can one country do this to another country with innocent civilians caught in the cross fire.
We continue to move through the city with Dane, Goga’s brother our proud excort. This city has some underated beautiful buildings and an extensive history. One dating back to the largest prehistoric culture of Europe, the Vinča culture, as early as the 6th millennium BC. We made our way to Belgrades make shift beach Ada Ciganlija which hosts thousands of visitors each summer. We sat down for coffee and was presently surprised by a famous Serbian celebrity Milan Kalinic who was about to perform a leap of faith. 
Milan Kalinic and Katherine Šišmanović host one of the first reality television formats in Serbia called: “All For Love” It is a prime time show with a reach of 2,128.000 viewers. The new season produced by Pink deals with sincere emotions, true stories, romantic marriage proposal, a spectacular statement of love, the story of unbreakable friendship, family strength, first loves and divorce and many other unusual stories of ordinary people just wanting to see how far they will go “All for Love “.

We watched as this guy climb up to the top. Is he really gonna jump?

I guess so…

The next day we hopped on a cruise ship. Myself, Goga, Ljuban, Yagoda and Dane. 
On board the ship I ran into a twitter/facebook friend of mine Karl Haudbourg who wrote a column about me last year called A Black Hip-Hopper In Belgrade which was featured in the online magazine Serbia’s Ambassador to the World. I mean really what are the chances??? Must be destiny…
The Sirona ship was built in the year 1980, and belonged to the government of West Germany. Many important persons, including Heads of States, Maradona, the soccer superstar, to tennis ace Novak Djokovic. Most government ministers as well as the Prime Minister and the President of Serbia have also cruised aboard Sirona, many of them more than once. Sirona is frequently chartered by embassies, prestigious foreign and local companies and banks as well as government ministries and agencies for their receptions and promotions. It’s an enjoyable 90-minute sightseeing cruise. Along the Kalemegdan Fortress. Downstream toward Dorcol and Pancevo bridge. Up River to Zemun and Gardos and back to port. 

Permanently settled by Serbs from the 7th century onwards it was a strategic location so the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times since the ancient period by countless armies of the East and West. In medieval times, it was in the possession of Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian rulers. 

That was our beautiful host. Yagoda was quite upset because the boat wasn’t going to sail near Zenum which she really wanted me to see. The host came to us quite a few times during the the cruise to calm us down from all the hell Yagoda was raising.

In 1521 Belgrade was conquered by the Ottomans and became the seat of the Pashaluk of Belgrade, as the principal city of Ottoman Europe and among the largest European cities. Frequently passing from Ottoman to Austrian rule which saw destruction of most of the city, the status of Serbian capital would be regained only in 1841, after the Serbian revolution. Northern Belgrade, though, remained a Habsburg outpost until the breakup of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The united city then became the capital of several incarnations of Yugoslavia, up to 2006, when Serbia became an independent state again.

Nevermind the history more beautiful girls from Belgrade…now there dancing…haha Dobra

Ok so in Belgrade I learned that a man’s home really is his castle. What makes a country beautiful is not solely defined by all the pretty buildings but by the people who make up the city. 

Zagreb taught me the importantance of the relationship between the young and the old generation. Back in Toronto the lack of respect on both sides is evident.  

Orvieto and Ferrara showed me the importance of story telling, myths or truths passed down through generations define a community. It gives us something to believe in something to take pride in. 

The Vatican. From talking to many people… For the amount of people who love the pope there are a simliar amount of people who can’t stand what the Vatican stands for? Believe what you will but there is a definate overwhelming energy and like myself you will definately feel it. 

Roma. Go big or go homa.  The Basillica’s, the monuments, the Colloseum, the history…it is what it is, I mean the city is truly remarkable. So much history, so much art. What ever you do, do it from the heart and do it well so it stands the test of time. Build your own legacy. 

The city of Venice really does float. It’s about resilience. Maybe it’s a solution for global warming? Maybe it’s a place to dawn a mask a not be concerned about your social class. We are all equal. 

The walls of Dubrovnik kept trouble out and kept the beauty in. I guess for some the walls are like prison walls. In a town so big and full of tourists, it’s still possible to feel alone. I was reminded of humanity both from Dubrovnik and Zaton Mali

One final supper, fresh lamb killed in the morning, put on a stick and slow cooked all day in time for dinner. I board the plane in Belgrade to head back to England. In between stops i took some time out for a quick photo shoot with some fans then it’s back to Toronto. 

When I got back to Toronto I was stopped in customs as they tried to take my cigarettes away. After paying 90.00 dollars to keep them I guess there is no better way to say welcome back?

I’m really tired of these 12 hour bus rides. Next year strictly planes & trains. However after riding through the night and watching the moon, the stars and the towns lights bouncing off the Adriatic Sea, I saw the most spectacular scenery I have ever scene thus far in Europe. Specifically from Split to Dubrovnik. Wow. 

We arrived in Zaton Mali, 15 minutes from Dubrovnik at our private accommodations and went straight to bed. Later that evening we headed into the old Dubrovnik. 

After a night of pizza and beer, the next morning we headed back into Dubrovnik. Explored a little then headed to old Dubrovnik to walk those legendary walls. It sounds exhausting just talking about it. 

Dubrovnik, this is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Adriatic, with a population of 43,770 in 2001.
The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, also known as the fifth Maritime Republic (together with Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa and Venice), it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. 
Although demilitarised in the 1970s with the intent of forever protecting it from war devastation, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by Serb-Montenegrin forces for 7 months and heavily damaged by shelling.

Ok so the Walls of Dubrovnik are these defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the citizens since the city’s founding prior to the 7th century. With numerous additions and modifications throughout history, it have been considered to be amongst the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages, as they were never breached by hostile army during thiat time period. The oldest systems of fortifications around the town were likely wooden palisades. Today’s intact city walls, constructed mainly during the 12th–17th centuries have long been a source of pride for Dubrovnik. 

The walls run an uninterrupted course of approximately 1,940 metres (6,360 ft) in length, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 metres (82 ft). The bulk of the existing walls and fortifications were constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries, but were continually extended and strengthened up until the 17th century.
This complex structure, amongst the largest and most complete in Europe, protected the freedom and safety of a “civilised” and “sophisticated” republic that flourished in peace and prosperity for five centuries. The walls were reinforced by three circular and 14 quadrangular towers, five bastions (bulwarks), two angular fortifications and the large St. John’s Fortress. Land Walls were additionally reinforced by one larger bastion and nine smaller semicircular ones, like the casemate Fort Bokar, the oldest preserved fort of that kind in Europe. The moat that ran around the outside section of the city walls which were armed by more than 120 cannons, made superb city defense.
I was asked which town I like more Split or Dubrovnik. That is really only a tourist question.  Both are Dalmatian cities almog the coast. I would imagine Dubrovnik’s old town is bigger than Split’s Diocletian’s Palace. The streets of Dubrovnik are straight forward on the x and y axis. In Split the streets have no order and probably feel bigger because you’ve been walking around in circles for hours. I love that about Split. 

In Croatian, the city is known as Dubrovnik in Italian as Ragusa, its historical name, in Greek its Raiyia. Tourists call it the pearl of the Adriatic…speaking of pearls; There is no better way to add to the splender of the walled city than with a pirate ship. We found where it was docked later. I looked for Captain James Sparrow but…he was on his coffee break. 

I never found an official beach around here so it’s pretty amazing how any area can be transformed into a make shift beach, i mean all you really need is water, right? And what better water than the water along the Adriatic coast. 

Onions, I’m not sure if it’s an ex-Yugoslavian thing but the pizza in Serbia and Croatia is some of the best pizza I ever tasted. Maybe it’s the local ingredients or the fact the pizzerias are family owned. After eating that you can’t come back to Toronto and look at pizza the same way, ever. One really wicked place was this pasta restaurant, not sure why we were drawn to it but damn. You choose your pasta then you choose your sauce. It’s not just your typical meat sauce for example they have percutio meat or creamy curry chicken sauce. Unbelievable. I think we ate there 3 times out of the 6 days we were here. We even asked the cook for the receipe and was surprised when he actually wrote it down for us. The other highlight was our new friend Baltazar. He walked by a few times staring at us. We invited him to sit and of course he didn’t want to disturb us but we insisted. Baltazar lived in the old age home right beside the restaurant. He grew up just outside Dubrovnik and was one of the stone masons who helped build this city. He walks with a locket which incases a picture of his wife whom he loved dearly. She is gone now and the two never had any kids. His brothers kids don’t come to see him so he’s alone. I guess it’s possible to still feel like a prisoner behind these walls. Over a few beers we talked about life back in his day, the war and the politics behind the once great Yugoslavia. The funny thing is some of the other seniors came to sit with us and talk too. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of scam to get free beer off tourists. he he…Naw I doubt it. I think they just want company. Before we left Dubrovnik we met with him one more time and i promised him if we return next year even if its for a day we’ll come find him. Great guy. 

Two hours later, exausted and sweating we were done walking these walls. Half way through they have a voluntary exit for those who can’t make all the way. As tiring as it is, it’s well worth it as you get tons of unique perspectives inside and outside of the old city

Back in Zaton Mali beside the makeshift camp grounds we actually had time to relax, well recover from all the walking in Italy right up to the walking of the wall in old Dubrovnik. On the beach, I finally learned how to float in the salt water. Once I figured that out it was napping on water for me.I love these little towns. They make you feel like part of the family, it’s different from being in a hotel, much more personal. One night while floating these DJ’s were setting up speakers right on the shore. Live club music and the moon both bouncing off the sea. Awesome. 
I tried to soak up as much as this moment as possible. Next stop, back to Belgrade. 

Ahhh Venice, this city is almost too surreal but I gotta tell you how we got here…so in order to that we gotta go back to Zagreb. The trip was booked here by Goga’s aunt so we thought we’d head over to Kompass where it was booked and ask a few questions. You see we thought that since we were already in Italy we could leave the tour after Rome and hit Florence then Venice then find our own way to Dobrovnik (which is pretty much across the Adriatic Sea), then to Zagreb and back to Belgrade. The good people at Kompass said the tour guide Josko is responsible for bringing us back and to leave us in Italy would cause a country wide man hunt. Ok so Goga and I went to a local internet cafe and using the internet and the phones she worked out that the minute we get to the first bus stop on Croatian soil which was Rijeka we’d spend the night in a hostel. Hostel’s not necessarily everyones preferred choice of accommodations but cheap and available. In the morning we would leave by bus back to an Italian city called Trieste from which we would take a train to Venice which is where were at now. Spend the day in Venice then take another 12 hour bus ride to Dubrovnik where we would stay in private accommodations in a town called Zaton Mali 15 minutes from Dubrovnik. From there take a plane back to Zagreb then the train to Belgrade. That’s the Itinerary. After paying 50 Euros to the ticket collector on the train we’ll call him super Mario Brother for not stamping our ticket. The train arrives to fascinating yet interesting point in the journey. As we approach Venice the very ground, the very tracks underneath us disappears giving the impression were floating. It’s the weirdest thing. It’s like the train transformed it a ferry. So as I was saying this city is almost too surreal. It’s like something completely dreamed up by James Cameron. It has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe’s most romantic cities. This is probably due to the Gondolas. The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, made using 8 different types of wood, composed of 280 pieces. The left side of the gondola is made longer than the right which resists the tendency to turn left at the forward stroke and I heard you also have to born in Venice to be a gondolier. So where trying to find Saint Marco’s Square which is the main square in Venice…
Heh, navigating through Venice is like finding a needle in a hay stack and sometimes I get the feeling we’re gonna get jumped by the next store owner who has to hear “Can you tell me how to get to St. Mark’s Square” instead of buying something but everything is crazy expensive. Good thing there not charging for directions. My brother Andrew was telling me one funny thing about Venice, he said that as you walk you’ll find people staring at you. He soon came to realize that they’re staring at you cause like you there trying to find the same places as you but no-one has the balls to ask or admit there lost. See these people here, they’re probably trying to find St. Mark’s Square too ha ha. Venice, historically was the capital of an independent city-state. Also known as the “La Dominante”, “Serenissima”, “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Masks”, “City of Bridges”, “The Floating City”, and the “City of Canals”. Luigi Barzini of The New York Times says it’s “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”…
Yes actually, the city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. The population is estimated at 272,000 inhabitants which includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000. In the historic city of Venice 176,000 and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon…
Yes brilliant observation Goga, thanks for that but aside from water there are lots of masks. The Carnival of Venice, an annual festival which starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. Carnivale started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. During the 1970’s, the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and today, approximately 30,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals.
Andrew also told me that in order to get to St. Marco’s square we need to simply follow the signs on the buildings. Sounds easy enough however there are so many side alleys, shops and distractions your easily taken off the beaten path which is taking us a bit longer, I think.
Naww i already told it…
This city truly is fascinating, boats for buses, boats for taxi’s, not a single car in sight.
I don’t know, by the time we find saint Marco’s square it will be time to head back. You need more than a day here, at least 2 or 3.
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from the mainland. (Under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood doesn’t decay. It is petrified as a result of the constant flow of mineral-rich water around and through it, so that it becomes a stone-like structure.) Some even say it’s sinking.
Yes my fave PS3 game Assassins Creed, part of which takes place in Venice and after playing for several hours it’s almost like De-Ja Vu. So according to the game this church is San Giacomo di Rialto. Located in San Polo it’s believed to be the oldest church in Venice and was supposedly consecrated in the year 421. It is notable for the large 15th century clock above the entrance. And just like the game around the corner is Rialto Bridge. The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It’s the oldest bridge across the canal.
The development and importance of the Rialto market on the eastern bank increased traffic on the floating bridge, so it was replaced in 1255 by a wooden bridge. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was finally completed in 1591. It is remarkably similar to the wooden bridge it succeeded. Two inclined ramps lead up to a central portico. On either side of the portico the covered ramps carry rows of shops. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that architect Vincenzo Scamozzi predicted future ruin. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice. Not to mention it has a nice view.
The bad thing about living on water is that the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, “high water”). This creeps to a height of several centimeters over its quays after certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking but it’s not for sure so there still in a state of alert. So enter inflatable gates; the idea is to lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. The cool thing about living on water is the islands on which the city is built are connected by 409 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and almost every form of transport is on water or on foot. Venice is Europe’s largest urban car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without cars or trucks.
Shit. I think we found it. Walk through this archway under St Mark’s Clocktower which dates back to the last decade of the 15th century. The mechanism of the clock has been altered though but It was placed where the clock would be visible from the waters of the lagoon so everyone can notice the wealth and glory of Venice. Ahhh Saint Marco’s square…finally. Saint Mark’s Square, is the principal square of Venice. Saint Mark’s Basilica is the most famous of the city’s churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. The first St Mark’s was a temporary building in the Doge’s Palace, constructed in 828, when Venetian merchants stole the supposed relics of Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria. This was replaced by a new church on its present site in 832. The new church was burned in a rebellion in 976, rebuilt in 978 and again to form the basis of the present basilica since 1063. The basilica was consecrated in 1094. The Basilica of San Marco dominates the piazza at its eastern end and San Marco’s Campanile standing free, facing it. This is Venices tallest building 323 feet tall and built 912. It’s purpose: bell tower, look out and light house. It’s one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
Across the lagoon is the Santa Maria della Salute. A great white-domed edifice which has occupied a pivotal point on the Venetian skyline for more than 350 years. Built in 1631 in honor of the Virgin to deliver Venice from a plague that claimed more than 45, 000 lives.
Also across the lagoon is San Giorgio Maggiore. Benedictine Monastery of San Giorgio was established in 982, when the doge Tribuno Memmo donated the whole island to a monk, Giovanni Morosini. The monks drained the island’s marshes next to the church to get the ground for building. San Giorgio is now best known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio and begun in 1566. It’s now the headquarters of the Cini Foundation arts centre, known for its library and is also home to the Teatro Verde open-air theatre.
We gotta start making our way back to the train station. There’s way too many things to see here we literally only scratched the grand canals water surface. I’d love to be a part of the famous carnival festival but for now we head back to Rijeka.

(Source: blip.tv)