A HIP HOP DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

The city of bridges is what Pittsburgh, PA stands for, with 446 of them to call their own. But for me there has been one bridged gap Pittsburgh has connected with us here in Ottawa. The extradition of Jay ”Cashtro Crosby” Williams. Son of a local record store owner (Reggae Emporium) and ClearChannel Music Director, I can understand why music saved him whenever he had a bad day.

We rarely meet hidden stars like Cashtro in this city. The ones who’s real reason for being on earth is to entertain and enrich us with their music. Having branded himself in his high school days after the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, is only right we follow his lead. His style is hereditary, the kind so unique rappers from throughout will try to jack it. “I stick out like a sore thumb because of my accent, it sticks,” he proudly states. This is why nothing about Cashtro is ordinary. He listens to everything from B-More to Electro, Reggae to Techno, from Justice to Amy Winehouse to our very own leader Maestro Fresh Wes.
All this flavor boxed up in a CD is what his most anticipated mixtape brings you. The Crosby Show is set to unleash in Ottawa with 27 songs formulated with style, skills and swagg backed up by some of the best production your ears will hear. This is all because besides, being his own best manager the Cashtro Crosby Show contains 70% of Mr. Cashtro’s own production.
“Im tying to make my own name, Im not gonna do what you heard. I plan to make the music people wanna hear.” With that said he and DJ Mes got to work on the Triple B Project. The B’s represent the best of both borders and for sure bridges together his rap extraordinaries, from here to Pittsburgh.
Check him out October 9th at Babylon for the Crosby Show Release Party. He’s got everyone from DJ Drastik to his partner in crime DJ Mes bringing you a Crosby night.

He’s been bombarding your Facebook message box for a reason. He acknowledges and understands why 60% of his buzz is because of the internet. “Im such a big nerd. I read a lot, blogging is the most informational thing to do today. Is not a dread for me to type something about music,” these are the words of a MC who knows what it takes to withstand this business. “Nothing is wrong with hip hop, I just think I haven’t been exposed to the world.” This is why if you heard of Cashtro was at any show, he was there, cool and collected but ready to rip the MIC and bridge you to the sounds he is and represents.

Some of us children of Hip Hop may argue Hip Hop is dead, but if it is, then this is just because Cashtro Crosby hasn’t been let out the box yet!

http://www.googlecrosby.blogspot.com/


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Aiyara Thai Cuisine

A new Thai Restaurant located at 1590 Walkley Rd, Ottawa. LUNCH: MON-FRI 11:30am-2:00pm...DINNER: MON-SUN 5:00pm-10:00pm. They don't use MSG in their food!

You’d never expect a gem like this to be found at this particular location. It is most definitely a DIAMOND IN THIS CITY

I went two weeks ago, for dinner, with a friend and I’m still drooling. The food tasted homemade and the price was amazing. I believe my meal was 11.95, and I was filled right up for the rest of the night. There’s enough on the plate for two; but come on, who really wants to share when the food is that good?

The atmosphere was warm and intimate. Décor was lovely and the plate presentation was beautiful; it came decked with an elephant carved out of radish and a beautiful bouquet of vegetable carved flowers; and I just have to add that I loved the aprons that the servers were wearing..Hmmm..I’m getting excited about aprons; can you tell that I’m a cook???

If you already have had the pleasure of dining here, then dine again! If you haven’t tried this Diamond in the City yet, make a reservation (613-526-1703). Reservations aren’t necessary, but this quaint spot fills up fast. While I was enjoying my chicken with veggies and cashews over rice…I kind of felt bad for all the suckers that were anticipating getting a seat. While I was indulging, they were hoping that there would be a table with their names on it.

I’ll most definitely be making many more dining excursions to Aiyara.

Does anybody know Thai translation for YUMMY?

~ Nicole Davids


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E2K- EVERYTHING A WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW

By: Claira Calderone

When we are 2 years old, we have to learn the basic vocabulary of words and master the crawling to walking process, we also start to savor the delightful tastes of foods our mothers feed us. At 2 years old Ema Z. Ramos started to savor the feel of paper instead. All she knew was that the feel of paper excited her senses but never knew the power of her words would in her future entice many young women of today. At 8 years old she was a regular honorary on her high school hallways and at 14 years old she received her first payment for her lyrical powers. She wrote a song for a singer friend of hers and it was a wrap from then. Everything Ema Z. Ramos knows is just that, all she's ever known.

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The year was 2000 and it was the millennium boom. Bank accounts were being emptied in fears of technical malfunctions and music was facing a ever shifting change. Christopher "Big Pun" Rios left our world on February 7th but not without inspiring many. Ema Z. Rios is a product of Big Puns lyrical essence. She had reached her elementary peak with her creative expression and was instantly recognized and co-signed by Big Pun himself. The respected lyricist appreciated her work and was interested in her words, this in return made Ema open her eyes and want to put her pen and pad where her money is. She educated herself with all publication languages needed to launch a magazine. She lived at Barnes and Nobles, read everything ever printed and mastered the ever challenging color scheme mixture technique, most importantly Ema soaked her mind with all things print and publication. After all her hard work E2K was born. E2K stands for everything to know. It began as a hip hop magazine with an inspirational tribute to Big Pun for its first cover. It became an instant success and accepted by hip hop culture. But Ema felt uneasy with what was being delegated to the public through her publications and the direction hip hop was taking was challenging her creativity and was not one she wanted to cosign for. She took the magazine off print and launched E2K on the world dominating web. She re-traced her steps and researched her market, but most importantly her readers remained loyal to her words through her transition. Ema asked herself what encouraged her life and moved on. She has never wanted to be your average magazine, she wants to be one of your choices. She is inspired by real people, so she decided to just do that, create her empire around educating our young women, and her readers of today. She wanted to educate women of all races and genres on all we face and to let you know you are not alone, E2K is now here. Ema's goal is to speak to those women of today, the many readers who asked her why there aren't any stories on them, the women who have thriving jobs, cars and homes and manage all on their own. She made it her responsibility to go schools and speak to our young girls of today about not always being about yourself but about each other. "The young girls of today are all I, I, I, and me, me, me, is no longer about us, is our fault as women if we do not educate our daughters". With that said, she knows her realness is always recognized and shown by her loyal readers. "Once they pick up E2K and read my articles, they show respect", she proudly states.

E2K is a movement. It's first preview as a women's magazine was with world recognized DJ Lazy K. The premier issue featured the soulful belle Leela James, Issue 1 had a stunning Lumidee on the cover and Issue 2 was with the respected La Bruja. E2K's myspace page holds an import number of daily views and its publication has international readers from Europe to Japan, it was only right for Ema to tap into the evolutionary new world of Internet radio. E2K on the spot. She records herself where ever she is and asks regular people she encounters on the streets how they feel about certain topics on their minds, from politics to boyfriends, E2K covers it all. It airs every Saturday from 6-8pm eastern time. You can catch a listen on www.myspace.com/e2konthespot and www.1.fm. The radio show has been on for 3 weeks in 10 min segments and Ema is already being offered an extension of 30 minutes a segment. It is all distributed through RS Radio (Rise Up Radio).

Through all her transitions Ema learned to always stay true to the person she is. She speaks with such charisma and manner you cannot help but feel empowered and motivated with every word she expresses. She learned the ins and outs of this business professionally. As a woman there are times when is always drinks but never breakfast, making it prudent for business decisions to be made at 1 am with potential investors and colleagues. To Emma is part of the process. If it isn't from her industry nights on Thursdays in the Bronx to meetings with printers and castings to MTV reality shows, is about letting the young ladies of the world know to maybe close those legs a little more and open those books a little wider, better yet...open up the new issue of E2K Magazine with Cheri Dennis on the cover.

www.everything2know.com
www.myspace.com/e2kmagazine
www.myspace.com/e2konthespotwww.1.fm.

Toronto’s Rochester a.k.a. Juice came though Ottawa a little while ago. He and Ottawa's own Mr. Krown from Royal Krown Entertainment have been working together for a minute. He was out here promoting the new album being released through his Foundation label, “Coming from the Cold.”
He reps Rexdale all day and within minutes breaks down to me his experiences in the Canadian music business. He acknowledges
"Blaow" for helping him find his talent, and I’d like to thank "Blaow" myself because the new single "Pull Up" Featuring Kardinal Offishall, Trinity Chris and Sean Desmand is
HOT!


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I was intrigued to learn how Rochester, was given his nickname. So I asked and learned, it was from young when he used to help out at his Dad’s bar.
He’d go in and ask for a rum and coke but before he knew it, he was being served good old OJ juice. After a glance and a introduction, I would have thought from the way he politely spoke with me, that his Juice a.k.a. came from the “swagger” he carries.

Rochester gets love everywhere he goes and I was not surprised how his charismatic charm and good looks were easy on the eyes, but what was Hot about him, was the caring attention he constantly gave to fans while out and about in the city. We step into the club to join Ottawa’s Caribana celebration and he is embraced by everyone inside, but most notably by fellow Toronto comrades Ill Kidz Soundcrew and Point Blank. His charisma and confidence is what attracts his fans, but he understand is the love or that juice he gives back that will keep them thirsty for more.
Juice at bars never satisfies me, but Ill take some Jason Rochester on the rocks any day!
Let me know what you think?

Variety is what many of us represent in one way or another. We have different sides to our cultures and at times have a hard time grasping who we are as people. We hold with pride our heritage and our ethnicity and on the other hand admire and respect the new cultures we have adapted to grow custom to.
At Ottawas Caribana the colors, spices and fluorescent costumes which tell us of who we are, detail so much more than that. We have choices and we are confident of our being.

Rochester A.k.a. Juice came though to show the Nations Capital some love. He and Royal Krown Entertainment have been working with each other for some time now and have found a common ground with music. Rochester, a intellectual man who was given his nickname from his dad's bar at the tender age when his rum and cokes where switched quickly for fruit punch, has know the idealistic ways in this market and culture we stand for. He reps Rexdale all day and acknowledges "Blaow", his engineer for teaching him the ropes and discovering the talent we all have heard on the hot single "Pull Up". He was discovered by Flow Search in 2002 and held the tittle as the first time winner. This helped establish himself and later own sign the major deal he believed would bring him the joys of rapping. "Is a stepping stone for hip hop rappers. Being artists is like hurdles in the Olympics, when you jump one there's twenty more to go, is hard to just jump one, but to jump twenty times in a race?, by the last one you are tired, by the time you get to the finish line you did it, but there are always hurdles waiting for you." he proudly states. After the success of his hit single "Do it like we do it," the dream of buying his mother a house and pop bottles of champagne every day came to reality. "I toured and things were good, but revenue started to slow down" states the clever artist. He never felt the pressure and even though he admits to having a little of the big headed symptoms many artists endure, he took matter into his own hands and educated himself in the business. Watching him explain to me how Canada only holds 3% of the music market demographics, lets you know why the formula of "good music is good music" is understood and exercised by this man. The scheming through HMV's CD lineups are irrelevant in a world where the Internet has taken a toll on Itunes and downloads. He took matter to his own hands and started his label Foundation. A label indie from his Maple/Universal deal, they offer graphic design, artist management and video production. He understands the physiological formula the radio has on their consumers and how it can make or break and artist, he knows in listing producer extraordinaire Mellenious, 1/3 of the Juno nominated Tone Mason would help him bring that love for music we have all been craving for. Mellenious, the man that made a beat out of a paper and a needle (ask him) has done 90% of the production on the much anticipated 2009 Coming From The Cold album. Rochester gets love everywhere he goes and encourages up and coming artists from his be-loving Toronto to get out there and explore their waters and take a look at the variety of options the world has to offer.

One variety is that of Point Blank. They arrive to the city of Ottawa to 456 Fashions on a heated day, and head straight to the studio board. With that being said you understand why their music is a projection of who they are and what they stand for. Straight out of Toronto's Regent Park, Imperial, Trouble, Stump, Kidd, RPD Jackalla and Tilt Rock producer Pikihed, know the formula to staying true to who they are. They know what has brought them here and to your TV screen and know how the work they put in has placed them on this map. From 1996's "Retaliation" to their Much Music Video Awards Nominated "Born and Raised in the Ghetto", this groups formula stays consistent with what they stand for. "They say the ghetto breeds crime, poverty, violence and disease but were also trying to show in the video that there is a brighter side," states Trouble. This bright side is seen as they get into details of the tribulations they encounter but have failed to fall for. They stay loyal to Tilt Rock and advise the young up and coming artists to work hard for the respect and notoriety. "Artists have to unite more," they encourage. Their self-title album Point Blank is in stores nationwide and gets to the point they want across. Real music no gimmicks, point blank.

Caribana weekend saw the best of both worlds. Just like what we are within ourselves we all have some of Rochester's Juice in us and some of Point Blank's genuinely honest views. Either or, they are both for the love of Canadian music. The same way you come out in the morning to catch a glimpse of the bright fuchsia feathers, beads and stones in the parading costumes, you come to taste the savor spices of the jerk on the grill, you have the choice and variety of the two worlds that make us who we are and what we stand for. Caribana was a manifestation of being us and something to be proud of. We have to hold it up high, because otherwise these talented artists would not have been blessed to do what they do in the versatile manner they do for us. No matter what your taste is.

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