Homecoming

A new state, a new vibe, new rhymes and a new school of thought. Martini Ranch, stand up!!!

Our shows have always spoken for themselves, but this time around I feel we all have something to prove. It truly is a lonely road that we walk and I finally understand why so many of us fall in this industry. This music requires so much from us and there are days where I feel shattered at the core.
Then I think of my DJ, raising two kids keeping his family together. My partner in rhyme working his ass off at his parents' crib. It goes without saying that we can't stop, won't stop.
(heh)

Come out on Thursday to witness the rebirth. Satisfaction guaranteed.......
and if not, well I hear the new Timbaland/Miley Cyrus jam is the shit.

-Sumatyme

In the Immortal Words of Our Last President... Tacos Rule!

Ok, so our boy Emcee Criterion had a show friday night at a place called Stray Cats… I believe IDC has played there a time or two. ;-) 

To cut the story short he ends his set early and invites the MCs (because at every underground hip hop show there’s one true spectator for every 300 MCs) to join him on stage for some freestyle fun and games. The infamous Mike Paris gets me to go on stage with him…I haven’t been on a stage in well over 2 ½ months, let alone not had my lifelines Sum and Choice. That was nerve wrecking people. Simply nail biting, hair pulling, bone chilling…nipple hardeningly scary.

And then I spit the illest shit ever been dropped to snares and kicks.

Ok, so there wasn’t that much drama, but it did remind me that performing is as much fun as I can have without a 30 pack, firecrackers, two 4lb balloons filled with salt and lemon juice, a box cutter and my fifth grade teacher bound to a cactus. (Sorry, she was a real bitch back then.) Anyway,it was yet another wake up call for what I’m here for. I know, I know. Broken fucking record! I don’t say it for you…I say it for me. (We artista are very touchy, ya know…) It’s just getting the ball rolling and watching the pins fall in the wake ladies and gents.

Anyway, Citizen Cope is dope, the new Rakim album is dope, Sons of Anarchy and FlashForward are TV dope, House makes me laugh (reminds me of me, but with a longer attention span) and Lie to Me makes me want to practice lying more. The Mentalist is just good ol' fashioned fun. And you still can’t name me one song, by any of the artists that are “hot” right now, that makes you think you might have actually learned something. (And no, the fucking stanky leg dance doesn’t count.)
 

I agree with my brother…Top 40 is getting lamer and dumber every second…
X

What happened to the music?

Times are changing y'all. Okay, obvious cliché #1, but it doesn't make it any less true. When I started making music, there was nothing but my emotions and the sounds they generated. Right, wrong, good or bad, it didn't matter. I created it and put it out to the world and then walked away.

Now my mind is chock full of tour dates, press releases, radio, and convincing big-wigs to give my crew the time of day. And for what? So I can write a two-syllable song and ignite a new dance craze that everyone forgets ten seconds later. How am I supposed to even write so much as a stupid haiku?

It could be worse. I could be an extra on a Diddy reality show. Hearts heal, souls mend, chicks dig scars, top 40 still sucks. Hip-hop I will love you 'till the day I die. Peace.

Sumatyme

The Latest from X

Holy $%^’n #$%...Ok, so I’ve decided to go PG for this blog kiddies…It’s been a minute. We’ve taken a break.Ok, so technically...we’re still on a break. But don’t bog me down with petty details. Things are still getting done and the Crisis is still going strong.

That said…Community is a fucking awesome show…shit… I just took a piss all over my PG rating. Fuck it. The FCC can lick my…never mind…moving on. Community is a great show and the fact that something could revive Chevy Chase’s career without the words “National Lampoon’s” in front of it or the use of an animatronic rodent is a feat in and of it self. I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately…possibly too much. Damn Hulu.

Either way, between that and starting a new job (which might possibly suck every piece of my soul out through my pores if I let it…Succubus!), I got the feeling that my writing might be suffering. I was…FUCKING WRONG BITCHES…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…Ok, sorry. Anyway…the music I’ve been working on the last few weeks has reminded me of why I do this. I don’t do it for money, fame or anything like that. I do it because it makes life a bit of a better place for me to walk around in. I want to write that song that makes someone’s day better…or gets them ready for the “hellish funk of Satan’s asshole after a three day bender of cheap beer, shitty tequila and day old Del Taco” feeling that they have right before they walk into a job they hate but go to because they love what they get to do when they get off. Not that I would know…heh. I want to give someone the feeling I get when I play music and it makes me feel better. I like what my brothers and I have started, as cheesy as it sounds. I love making music…of course the chicks, millions of dollars and parties at the playboy mansion wouldn’t hurt either…J…

Your friendly neighbor artist,

X

P.S. The episode of South Park where the boys are “pro wrestlers” is pretty funny too

Quick Blog from X

Well folks, here we are… August is almost over and things are about to happen. I’ll try and keep this quick and just hit you with bullet points.

We performed in front of 50,000 plus… Amazing feeling... oddly though, it felt really calming. It was almost like that was how I felt the most comfortable. No need to get too deep in to that… but I could get used to do shit like that. (Can I say shit in the blog…?)

Been flying a bit in the last couple months… been busing a bit… and driving… I’m sensing a theme brewing. TOURS!!!!... Ok, so on our budget it’s more like tours… But that’s neither here nor there. It’s still a tour.

Changes are coming and not all are good, but such is life. However, ya boys with the Crisis Management* issues are growing stronger every minute and my alcohol enablers, The Wiley One, are really starting to gel. A lotta good shit is gonna start happening… when, I can’t tell you, but there’s always a storm before a… never mind…

One love ya’ll and keep ya eyes open for new music from me (X), Sum, and even the Silent Bob of our group: Choice One.

CTX of Identity Crisis

* - that’s right a cheap plug ;-)…

I love this frakking show!

It's a well known fact that a lot of artists tend to procrastinate. Yours truly is no different.

This latest incarnation has taken the form of the Sci-Fi Channel's smash hit Battlestar Galactica. Now before all you non-geeks start laughing, check it out.
This nerd fest offers everything one could want in a show and a break from whichever reality show tv star is currently throwing up in the hot tub. You've got action, shit blowing up all the time, beautiful people getting it on, mystery, suspense, and my favorite part of it all: the made up curse word.
In a BRILLIANT middle finger to the FCC, the writers added to the show's vernacular "frak". (If you can't figure it out, stop listening to our music.) They then proceeded to use it like a Bernie Mac comedy show.

I swear to God, it's the little things in life...

All the frakking best,
Sumatyme

X-Games and Disney Kids

So we just spent the last few days stuck in between two opposites. The hardcore of the X-Games and the complete goofiness and nauseating pep of Disney. Identity Crisis did get to walk its first movie premiere red carpet. Found myself caught between wanting to stalk Slash and strangle Shawn White. (True story.)

Side note: I'm sorry, LA... but $13.50 for a Corona! Are you out of your fucking minds?!?

Had a show in Redondo Beach with the Wiley One. Finally remembered all of my verse. Go team!
Not as much partying as I would have liked, but that's probably for the best.

That's it for now. We will see ya in Seattle!!!

Peace and Blessings,
Sumatyme

X's Blog

Well, this was an interesting weekend…a lot going on… Let’s see if I can get any kind of coherent thought out for you:

So the day before Identity Crisis unveils Battle Scars one of our biggest influences dies. He collapses while preparing for a tour. We each handle his death in our own way and on our own terms…then the next day comes. Not even 24 hours after his death people are making jokes made and there’s disrespect all over. I’m not here to get in to a “did he or didn’t he,” I’m just saying that Anna Nicole Smith received more respect when she died. Not saying she shouldn’t have had respect shown…but did she influence generations? Let me repeat that a little louder for the people that forgot he did anything other than what the news spouted out…generations. I just wonder if these people’s lives were spied on and held under a microscope how would they look, act, and feel.

All that aside, I can try to tell you how I felt/feel about his passing and the timing of it. I felt at first that the timing was horrible. I mean, the day before we release our album, a hero dies – talk about taking the wind out of your sails. But then I started to think that maybe this was, in a way, a sign. My brothers and I feel like we give a high energy show that leaves the crowd exhausted, but excited – exactly the way we feel when we watched our favorite musicians and performers. I don’t want anyone to read in to this too much, but I feel as though we can be next. Not as big…never as big…but I think the stage show has lost its flare these days and that there are very few artists out there who actually entertain their audiences. That being said - I think Identity Crisis can be a performing group where you hear music that you can vibe to and enjoy and at the same time you can walk away from the show feeling in awe at what you saw. The experience is one you won’t soon forget…

For those wondering…the album release went great. The show the following day was also dope and we hope to have some audio/video/pictures from the whole weekend up soon.

One Love,

X

R.I.P. to Ed. McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and one of the best to ever perform for a crowd - Michael Jackson. Thank you for everything all three of you have taught us as performers.

Three Days

3 more days until we unleash Battle Scars in a world where Soldja Boy can sell thousands of copies of a song that he doesn't even spit on.

I'm not hating, the kid is savvy. And he's certainly stacking his paper.
How is it that even though this last year saw our first black president, I still feel like we might be marching backwards?

Every artist wants his work to be appreciated and I am no different, but I truly hope this album helps put us on the road to being recognized among the musicians we respect. Until then baby steps I guess......

Peace and Blessings,
Sumatyme

P.S. Choice it's good to have you home.

Mexico w/the Other Project (aka check out www.thewileyone.com)

So I'm sitting in a room full of passed out drunk people & I realize... these are my band mates and affiliates... Ok, I should say friends. I want to sound like a professional... Let me paint the scene: It's Mexico, everyone's drunk and the sole member of Identity Crisis present (me) is awake, alert, and alarmingly sober considering - this will change throughout the weekend... Saturday will be the climax of drunkenness - Here I get the brilliant idea to climb over to the neighbor's porch. Over jagged rocks and slippery walls. Surprisingly, I not only don't fall to my death, but actually get a better view of the moon's reflection off the ocean... at this point of the trip I plan to write at least every night...

*It should be noted that had I been able to, I would have written every night. But I got drunk... really drunk... Hey, I'm a drummer & rapper - don't judge :)

Ok, so I'm on my way home now... I was way too drunk to write during this trip.
(Note: Mexico is bad for my drinking habit.)

But let's do a list:
1 - number of broken drumsticks & of mothers trying to hook me up with her daughter (What's up mother-in-law, ha ha)
2 mornings waking up not knowing where I was, only to realize it was my room a few minutes later
3 days of drinking before 9 a.m.
Several pictures with fans... some sober... most not...
A ridiculous number of shots, beers, and 6 bottles of H2O (gotta stay hydrated, kids!)

So, I'm thinking that being the drummer in The Wiley One and one lyrical half of Identity Crisis might be bad for my liver. But Fan-Fucking-Tastic for my memories... at least the ones I can remember (heh)...

Not a household name yet, but working on it,
X

Sumatyme's Bugging Out

Shit.

Shit, Shit, Shit. Man, some days I feel like throwing out my rhyme notebooks and working at a Virgin Megastore. (Do they still even have those?)

Turning 27 this week kinda forces one to take a long look at his life.

Man, Identity Crisis has had some huge moments and we've taken our lumps, but we are still here mofos! I have no idea where the road ends for us, but I do know we are gonna ride it for all it's worth. I'm stressed, overwhelmed, spazzed, freaked, (pick your adjective), but I pity the people that don't have the courage to follow their passion.

For those not in the industry, the "8 Mile" moment doesn't happen at random. Eminem worked for years before Dre picked him up. How could we stop fighting? That's all I got. You will be seeing more of us. To all our bothers and sisters in arms, keep the faith. WE CAN DO THIS!!

Peace and Blessings,
Sumatyme