Monday, August 17, 2020

House of Lies





Legendary emcee and literal lyrical
professor, Professor Lyrical (
AKA Dr. Peter Michael Plourde),
returns with a timely and groundbreaking Hip Hop single and video entitled House of Lies
offering sharp social commentary on President Trump while
disguised as a relationship break-up letter revealed in a surprise
twist-ending.


“As
one of the most creative and thought provoking songs of the year, it was
crucial that its video be equally as compelling—and cinematographer Josiah
Mendoza did not disappoint.”

“This
record is not what it appears to be and has to be heard multiple times after
witnessing the amazing imagery of the video and realizing you didn’t hear what
you first thought.”

“House
of Lies is an impressive hip hop ballad with a contagious
hook which promises to have you replaying it over again to capture
the double entendre meaning - no spoiler.”
 


                                                                                                                                                   ~HipHopCitizen~



Thursday, December 16, 2010

So you rap?


OK, so do about 400 million others. So what makes you different? Perhaps you have a unique story, a great voice, you are really creative, people just seem to like you, or you are just all around good at all the aspects of emceeing. If not, this page is designed to help you master the craft.

Here is my disclaimer before we begin: You will not be good at emceeing, unless you are dedicated to the craft! This means you must practice, and constantly think like an emcee throughout the course of your entire day.

That being said, if you are in it for the long haul you will be surprised at how good you can become; if you truly love the craft the work is easy.

My biggest satisfaction comes from emcees who hear me, or read my lyrics and say they suddenly have the inspiration to go home and work their craft. For me this represents work that payed off well. I have an infinite amount I could write, but only a finite amount that I actually will write. Inspiring others to continue on with this art form allows all of us to ensure that limitless material will in fact be written and well-crafted. Feel free to post your own responses or rhymes at anytime. Or just sneak a look at some of my posted lyrics and thoughts. Please click this link right below my signature to get an idea what my music sounds like, because I rap too!

Thanks,

"Professor" Lyrical


I was recently featured on Chronicle (WCVB-TV ABC-5 BOSTON)
Here is a link to the episode if you would like to watch it, or click below.



Professor Lyrical
Professor Lyrical Bio Information and Site

CHECK OUT MY WIFE AND I, ON THIS TRACK CALLED "HOT" PRODUCED BY ROBIE ROWLAND!



Supremely Crafted, By Lyrical

Supremely Crafted, routinely mastered/
Rhyme schemes, conceived in my dreams, my sleep's practice/
24-7 been dedicated to rappin'/
While still finding time in between for multitasking/
University Massachusetts my masters/
Earned the same time making Massachusetts some classics/
Teaching mathematics and university classes/
And music with my students the fusion is fantastic/
But don't confuse it, to battle me, that's a fallacy/
Sun, I put the Earth on the map in this rap galaxy/
My mentality, humble is what I have to be/
Cuz even though I'm known as the best there's 100 after me/
A hunted athlete, dumb to be humming happily/
When half these crappy, happy go lucky rappers are tragedies/
One minute I'm hot and the crowd claps for me/
The second that I'm turning my back, their gonna clap on me/
So don't grab on me, after I walk past at these/
Rap shows, the answer is "no" I am not having it/
It's not happening, don't know what you expect to see/
Typically, you'll find me perfecting vectors and matrices/
Professor Lyrical, my material's basically/
Made to be poetic yet spoken, more motivationally/
So any vacancy, math, music or otherwise/
I'll graph you out my digits like perpendicular number lines

Jesus Shuttlesworth - By Lyrical

Words impeccable, birth verses incredible/
Classical, heavy metal, my genres span several/
Soul is etheral, swing like Duke Ellington,/
Rock like Chuck Berry, My role, very intelligent/
Respect level is tough...and you can tell it is/
Revered by my elders, loved- like close relatives/
Grace the Land with a flow, blow like Elvis did/
Instrument's held lefty, burn em like Jimmi Hendricks did/
My main difference is out of my brains spittin/
With change the game writtens, insane like Blake Griffin/
Plus any distance I drain from highly accurate/
Highly talented, game is Ray Allen-ish/
Well practiced and versed, looking instinctual/
Only cause the work I put in is unthinkable/
So next time when I'm rhyming at some Palladium/
Remember all the time that I've put in the gymnasium/



I pattern my rapping after Ray Allen shooting in practice/
Perhaps I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive creature of habit/
Master the fundamentals, while maximizing my talents/
So even leaving the floor I'll return on my feet balanced/
Reek havoc, on all opposing defenders/
Stone cold killer, so leave me open I'll end this/
Pen verses, most of them open ended/
From answering these questions, like "How do I flow tremendous?"/
Frees are splendid, writtens even more magical/
Catapult myself to success running through battle drills/
Cardiovascular, rapping on the eliptical/
Then hopping on the treadmill after for better breath control/
Many steps ta go, hurdling every obstacle/
So stopping me from reaching the top is just not possible/
I dig deep for the facts - archeological/
Then put em back into my raps as published articles/

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

LYRICAL BIOGRAPHY AND EPK

LYRiCAL -Electronic Press Kit




Contact:
InvasionEntertainment@gmail.com
617-331-5790


LYRiCAL BIOGRAPHY:


"LYRICAL" is a well respected name in the New England Hip Hop scene for multiple reasons. As a Hip Hop artist he has published numerous releases that have topped national college charts, such as "The Focuz Is Back " (2006), and classics like his first single "Butta Messenga" (1997, X-Caliber) or "Salt" (2003, Invasion). As a businessman he has organized scores of shows in Boston, including the heralded "M.I.C. Hip Hop Awards" and many similar type of events. As an accomplished world class MC battler he has won countless battles and has also competed in invite only battles like the New Music Seminar's Battle for World Supremacy in New York City, and the East Coast Zulu Nation Battle in Harlem. But perhaps what really sets Lyrical apart from other award winning, freestyle, battle emcees is the fact he has also been contracted by several colleges to teach over 80 courses in subjects ranging from Hip Hop to Calculus (see below for details).

His duel careers lead to the creation of The College Project (Through the Eyes of Pupils), a 2009 album featuring 25 of Lyrical's students as guest artists, producers, engineers, graphic artists and photographers on the project. A native of Lowell, Lyrical earned a BS in Business Administration (Marketing/Econ.) and was hired to write the business plan for the Lowell High School's Alternative Program where he taught math and business for 6 years before teaching college. He earned his MS in Mathematics from UMass-Lowell while taking his last three courses for his degree at Harvard University's College of Continuing Education after moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Professor" Lyrical is now a full-time Lecturer of Mathematics at Northeastern University teaching Boston freshman in The College of Professional Studies in an innovative program known as Foundation Year. Today he is one of the more sought after speakers on topics ranging from Hip Hop culture to higher education.

Lyrical was a vital member of Mayor Menino’s “Hip Hop Round Table” and several City of Boston Peace Fests, opening for artists like Big Daddy Kane and Rakim along the way. He was featured rapping and teaching on The Discovery Channel's Animal Planet's "Dogs 101", October 3rd, 2009; this popular episode repeats periodically. He has also been on the front page and cover of several newspapers and magazines and has been the subject of many other television segments as well. As a teacher, businessman and artist Lyrical is highly involved in many of the events helping shape the face of Hip Hop culture, urban entertainment, and education in Massachusetts.
_____________________________________________  

 

 













LYRICAL IN BROOKLYN AT PUPPETS JAZZ LOUNGE (WITH SYNTAX)

DJ JIMIZZ “Boston’s Best-Kept Secret”



By Lyrical

DJ Jimizz quietly has managed to hold down the longest running Hip Hop radio program in the city. Nestled in the basement of MIT, Jimizz has spun every Saturday night from 10PM till midnight, and has done so for over a decade. Now the Urban Music Director, Jimizz works to keep all the Hip Hop shows at the station laced with the hottest new local and national joints, before they become household names.

Jimizz is a true DJ and throwback to an era long gone by. He MIXES live, does blends, scratches, and hosts the show himself. He answers the phones (though his listeners would argue it is near impossible to get at him during the show), holds down the news, and provides the listeners with releases hitting the shelves, and even picks an “old school joint of the week” to pay tribute to the pioneers. This is more than just a token song, it is a segment of his show that he expands upon every last Saturday of the month for an entire show where he reverses the format playing only old school, with the exception of one “new school joint of the week”.

Jimizz was an intern under DJ Busy Bee who held down the same slot in the early and mid nineties, and also under the legendary PJ Porter who is an institution himself as a certified legendary Boston area DJ playing R&B into the wee hours of Sunday mornings. As Jimizz’s mentor, PJ Porter has been responsible for ushering in a whole new generation of babies who most likely now listen to DJ Jimizz show as well. When Jimizz is not spinning at the station, he is most likely digging for records at some of the other “best-kept secrets” in the city in terms of stores that sell vinyl. He adds to his show with hard to find gems, and is not afraid to mix in classic R&B or other vibe enhancing joints that keep him one step ahead of the rest. A true party setter, he is found at many of the area hot spots and also spins private functions. He earned his bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and in addition to all this he simultaneously held the title of Promotions Coordinator for Greater Media for many years.

Jimizz can be heard on WMBR 88.1 FM Saturday nights 10PM till midnight, and over the word wide web at www.wmbr.org .

Monday, December 13, 2010

I AM

I am -Impassioned, soul that’s old fashioned/
Classic- a modern day Johan Sebastian/
Beethovien, flow that’s hand woven in/
With finer strings than you’d find on a violin/
Stradivarius- Master Artesian/
On hand blown glass, my craft is pure genius/
Multivariate flows for all seasons/
Raps get tracked out on graphs that’s Cartesian/
So Thelonius, James Brown & Coltrane/
Improper Bostonian, old school as Soul Train/
Paying homage to-those dudes from ol’ days/
With Hall of Fame status & vocals like the O’Jays/
So harmonious, motion Tag Heurerish/
How every movement is smooth and Luxurious/
Surround sound in my Harmon Kardon/
Speakin the word like Mohammed when he said the Koran/

I am-other worldly, -skills is not from here,
Jimmy Neutron flow- Buzzing for Light Years/
And I don’t fight fare I’m mad resourceful/
But deep down I’m peaceful and real remorseful/
In rap battles- son – I scrap for morsels/
Wanna swim with the sharks?-Bring your fins and dorsals/
Cause if I’m forced to, I’m awfully forceful/
One dose of my flow’s like a blow to your torso/
Even more so than what you think/
I be a beast like the cast in the Monster’s Inc./
Monstrous ink, once I sync my Mont Blanc/
The thoughts that I think launch off in a montage/
Entourage like I’m Mark from Boston/
With my squad on the block gone apartment shopping/
Dropping Common-wealth on the Ave we walking/
But yall ain’t dropping nothing but your “r’s” when you’re talking



Steam by Lyrical

I spit steam, sixteens is pristine/

Crisp, Clean, Comfortable like ripped jeans/

Since 15, my lyrics painted a vivid scene/

Ain't never seen, since the ceilings of Sisteen/
  

An inner feeling, more complex than Byzantines/

Content and a concept, with a strong theme/

Who ya know that can manifest these huge dreams?/

My flow's art, the new name is "Drew" breeze/
  

I'm Mozart, when I rehearse these new schemes/

on loose leaves my techniques is Bruce Lee/

I use speed, with furious fist, Supreme/

With punch lines, that drop-kick, till bruised knees/


Got true game, can maintain the huge lead/

Turn Tom Brady, chew out the crowd if dudes leave/
  
A new team,  make few errors, a new league/
  
emcee forever, in any error I'm Lou Reed/

VIOLENCE IN OUR STREETS, & HIP HOP'S ROLE
By Lyrical

Violence is everywhere in our American culture, so what are we going to do about it? Who is “we” anyway? Does “we” include our Hip Hop leaders in our local urban communities? Our elected officials have all but thrown up their hands in bewilderment and confusion concerning what to do in these most desperate violent times. Does “we” include only those in the affected neighborhoods with the highest incidents of reported violence, or do we realize once and for all we are always governed by the rules of universal karma, and we are in fact all connected and in this together?

This question of responsibility trickles down to the emcee. Somewhere at this very moment, reading this determining whether to write another line about how he or she can be “found with the eagle on their arm like a bird trainer” or if he or she can be "found with their child in their arms like a good parent,” is an emcee about to make a decision with tangible consequences for us all. The other side of the discussion centers around the fact many rappers are just reporting on what they see around them. They will say they are not promoting violence, rather they are reporting on the violence that exists in epidemic levels in their communities. Is a child or adolescent lacking in critical thinking skills able to tell the difference? Or does it all sound like a lifestyle to today's average young emcee looking to be embraced with respect - if not fear- from her or his peers?

It is a sad reality when the reaction we get to violence in our communities can be directly correlated to the voter turn-out rate in the districts we live. We all know if there is a reporting of a single gunshot, let alone a shooting in a quiet, affluent, suburban town- say….Newton, the police will answer with multiple cars in record time, as compared to that of an actual shooting in Mattapan (or any other urban city with lower voter turn out). The outrage must be organized for it to be effective. People who complain, write letters and vote get heard. They also become more influential in their communities and perhaps wield more clout the next time the rally to be heard. Politicians who are responding to the wishes of their constituencies make change. Why then pass the problem of solving the epidemic of violence in our streets on to the local Hip Hop artist when our community and its leaders have in many cases failed us? Is an emcee actually able to make an impact where these others have failed?

If you were to ask "Is Hip Hop culture an effective way to reach people?" to any of the big five media monoliths- they would certainly answer yes. They all understand that rap music is one of the only genres on a world wide scale that young people are listening too. The same companies control just about every resource worth owning in terms of billboard advertising, network television stations, radio stations, sports companies, amusement parks, newspapers and magazines, movie companies, internet websites and search engines, and more. In fact the consolidated world of music distribution is down to only four or five major distributors for all of the labels in existence as well. With an influential messenger like today’s Hip Hop artists to disseminate information corporate sponsors have been paying rappers to mention their products in their songs. Guests on MTV Cribs don't just happen to have Vitamin Water and Red Bull in their refrigerators- it is "product placement," - a sponsorship and a commercial. Our local governments in some form do business with the outlets these messages are distributed across, and business people know –too well- just how impressionable our young people's minds are towards imaging, marketing and yes - Hip Hop song lyrics and videos.

To combat the growing Twitter-like trend of violence being overly forced and inserted into our videos and song lyrics, the term “conscious” rapper started to emerge for those who showed concern. People essentially were insinuating with this label one would have to be unconscious to consciously allow the studio killing, and pimpin’ to take place on records since all of this may lead to influencing our impressionable youth to commit some of these same actions in the real world. These gunplay and drug filled lyrics are argued to desensitize young people to violence and crime, which the big five are already doing on a daily basis at every possible turn. The debated question will rage on if these kinds of lyrics are adversely affecting our youth. The knee-jerk reaction and answer seems to be yes they do; why else would corporations pay millions just to flash a logo at us, or show us a commercial on a billboard that we only have a moment to glance at?

Additionally...
Killing is not as natural as some would have us believe, nor is witnessing such violence on our own species. People will say since prehistoric times we have been witnessing violence in the world, and that violence is in our nature as humans. Then again so is love and compassion, but the question is which will ensure our survival? The answer is obvious, as negative energy can influence weaker positive energy and draw it in, but why then do our elders in society allow it and corporations promote it? I think the answer lies with a lack of spiritual grounding of our morals, and the effect of greed in capitalistic societies. Greed is preached against vehemently by most religions, and in fact it is usually the opposite of greed, namely selflessness, that is taught to lead us to salvation.

Who then is to spiritually guide us, when many major religions have abandoned us through corruption and shame, and our elders go to work for large companies that value only the bottom line? Our family structure is under attack, drugs have become the crutch and alternative to high priced over the counter anti-depressants- available in more affluent communities under the care of a doctor. This further adds to the problem while illegal drugs are pumped into our communities as a short term fix, with the all too eager youth looking to cash in on the excitement, or those who think the have no other legitimate means to make ends meet. These images are preached through our musical heroes’ song lyrics and displayed by flashy jewels they wear as fruits of the labor of selling poison in one's own community. These material images of success are directly a result of selling the illegal product in our very same communities we live in, and reinforce the negative actions with positive end results. A short study of the numbers of Hip Hop artists with or without major deals will reveal only a very small fraction of them are making a decent living off of record deals. The rest are forced to masquerade as successful artists, when in fact the music industry is set up so an artist is always last to get paid, and the commercial rapper arguably has the highest cost to pay as well.

Many of the most successful (or at least in appearance those who look successful) are promoting their images as virtual rapping drug lords such as Jewels Santana or Fat “Joey Crack” Joe. It is as if rappers who do not possess the ability to speak what they “sometimes see” in society, especially the negative, fear they will be discarded or labeled conscious – which carries the stigma of less paid. The correlation in society is "less paid = less laid," and ultimately less successful. If a rapper wants to speak on some of the positive and provide balance they are labeled one step worse then conscious: they are either “happy rappers” or “backpack rappers”, and to some street emcees there is no worse title to be given. This high stakes gamble that rappers take by not speaking on the outrage of what is going on in urbanized areas leads to only further economic enslavement of people of color and lower socio-economic status. In other words, the poor get poorer.

The creative voices of the Hip Hop culture have been homogenized into a similar one voice, to speak for the global ghetto. The marketing and rebroadcast of this singular new world order is promoted for mass consumption through outlets such as BET and MTV. Creatively working towards a solution to problems is not often deemed a way to be successful on a street level. This is reinforced by the types of rappers signed to major deals, and the topics they are “allowed” or prompted to speak on. Ironically now, the independent artist has more creative control, promotion ability, and distribution possibilities then ever before. In some cases these artists stand to make much more then the major artist who is promoted with a much larger budget. Again, the irony is that corporate dollars that flood into rap music through endorsements and commercials already backs up the notion that the nation's most wealthy understand the power rap music has to influence the youth. It is as if we have been bought out; to not use our same power through rap music to help ourselves and do great work and self-police our own streets.

The corporate muffle is in-effect on emcees, and “rappers” essentially are under "gag order" from those signing the check. Others follow suit to potentially land the same eventual checks.  The voice of reality and creative energy has “sold out” to small paydays and big dreams the major label is still able to convey through its main tool – the music video. If Hip Hop is to be a solution for violence then the emcee of today and the future must be able to think freely and not be mind controlled into believing there is only one type of way to rap, and think.

Creative thought itself is ignited in the brain when both hemispheres are working together to form a spark, much like the one Hip Hop is able to ignite in the mind of people of all ages, sex, color and creed through graffiti art, the DJ, the MC and the B-Boy or B-Girl dancer. It is this type of excitement that can shelter people and provide respite from many of today’s societal ills when they are focused and practice the art of self expression. The power of creating something from nothing, which Hip Hop has always offered, hints at the same magic the finest scientists and mathematicians have never been able to solve about the origin of the universe itself. If you want to find these types of solutions and answers to life’s biggest challenges and riddles perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the principles of the of Hip Hop culture!

The emcee must know the true history of Hip Hop culture and how it was made to be a solution to the violence. It may be time to teach true Hip Hop culture in the schools (including all the elements) if we want to find a solution. Recall or recognize, it was Hip Hop positioned to be a similar solution in the seventies in the Bronx during the most violent of times that gave birth to the phenomena we see today across the world.

Lyrical is rapper, and college professor originally from Lowell, Massachusetts now living in Cambridge. He teaches mathematics full-time for Northeastern University in a freshman only cohort for accepted former Boston Public School students. He is also an adjunct professor of Entertainment Management at Bay State College, in Boston Massachusetts and teaches and has taught for various colleges all around the area. For more information on Lyrical go to www.tinyurl.com/professorlyrical.