You're a Shining Starr

I am doing a little write up while Alexie F. is on vacation, celebrating some great creative milestones in his life. I do know that he is deeply saddened by this loss. Alexie is a huge fan of Alice in Chains, and was devastated by the loss of Layne Staley. Read Alexie F’s beautiful tribute to AIC & Layne. http://alexief.blogspot.com/2009/12/w-ooooooooowi-have-loved-this-band-for.html

Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr, the original bassist in AIC……for me was the guy that I often noticed. Yes Layne had that haunting voice that we loved, but in songs like Rooster, that bass was the thing that pulled me in before I even hear the first vocal. His look to me was just too adorable. The long wavy brown hair that flowed over his Asian tats & bass was more of my tastes…lol And the way he played was no joke.


Sadly when I got to see him 2 years ago on a reality show... He didn’t have that same Umph…you know he was a man who was still aching for his fallen brother… That loss must have been a huge part of his pains & demons he battled after Layne was gone.


I was rooting for him to get thru the pain… but sadly, sometimes prayer isn’t always enough…And in silence we need to listen a little closer….Pain isn’t always so black & white.


R.I.P. MIKE STARR

Busy man...but loves his fans

Hi All,


Just letting you all know that the man of the hour has been mad busy with new up & coming stuff...he has not forgotten about any of you.  


Thank you so much for being the supporting fans that you all are...You truly make him excited to do what he does.


We can't wait to meet you all @ Salud on March 18th.

Alexie F.....Making an appearance

Alexie F who has been a contributor on both my  by books…is making a special appearance for his fans @ a Meet & Greet & Informal Book signing for the book  2 Faced: The Devil’s Advocate (supporting Mustard Seed Guild). He will be available to sign books the while supplies last.  Friday, March 18 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Salud Bar & Lounge

585 CENTRAL PARK AVE

Yonkers, NY

Mustard Seed Guild-mission to an orphanage in Nicaragua that serves abandoned and disabled children on this night. $5 donation @ the door 100% of the door goes to the charity. MUSTARD SEED GUILD is affiliated  with Saint Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church NYC.

Jeans OK. collared shirts.Uptowns OK with button shirt... UPSCALE CASUAL....NO SNEAKERS NO HATS!!!!for more information (914) 207-1679

My Partner in crime

Well, 2011 is a busy year already...& Afro Boy is part of that hustle & bustle. Alexie has been so busy, that we literally have to make a schedule to speak.... lol


Don't you love knowing that your boy has so much going on....He preparing big things for his fans


And guess what.. you will have an opportunity to see him in the flesh.....Stay tuned

10 q&a's with marco polo

hey marco whats up?


thank u so much 4 taking the time to do this interview..


the funny thing about it is, i was at the cutting room a few years back (small world) wrapping up an interview with the female mc eternia aka silk kaya,and she had invited me to the knitting factory to see a show,,,well on that bill was,,,master ace,emc,wordsworth,punchline... of course u were there lol..i tried to get in a few words with u before i left, but it was crazy that night.......great place to see a live show.......




alexie f: i know u never have that one person in mind when ur doing beats but, how does it feel when dudes like,master ace,torae,and ruste juxx bless 1 of ur joints???
Marco Polo: always a blessing to work with talented MC's over my production. I put a lot of time into my music so I'm always looking for the same passion when it comes to rappers.


alexie f: i know ur lab is in brooklyn lol, it must be a good feeling to be in a borough with so much hip hop history,was brooklyn the plan ,or it just worked out that way???
Marco Polo: New York in general was the plan. I just ended up in Brooklyn via 6 degrees of separation and good friends. I love where I live. The vibe is perfect.


alexief: i know brazil is a place u wanna rock at, have u locked down anything yet???
Marco Polo: No sir. I'm sure it will happen when it's suppose to. Fingers crossed! That's a place I've always wanted to visit for many reasons.


alexie f: i know u love diggin in those crates for ,beats,breaks,and baselines...lol...how long roughly would u say that process is from crate to finished track???
Marco Polo:Completely changes all the time. Sometimes the cards line up and I can knock out a finished beat in 30 minutes and other times it takes a few days to wrap something up. I prefer the 30 minute days haha.


alexie f: is the mpc 2000 still ur weapon of choice to catch samples,or have u moved on to another piece of equipment
Marco Polo: 2000 XL is still my sampler of choice. I've tried other samplers but I'm very impatient when it comes to stopping work flow to learn new gear. Plus, if it ain't broke don't fix it...


alexie f: regarding video making,do u like the process,bringing visual to ur music???
Marco Polo: I think a good video can elevate a song to another level. It happened with "Nostalgia". I just don't always love being the guy in the video. I think my talents are best hidden in a cave making music.




alexie f: what i like about them is that they are pretty straight forward with concept,mc in the front and u chillin in the background just enjoying the track...
Marco Polo: yeah only so many rap motions you can do before the director is like "okay Marco.....smoke a cigarette or something!!!".


alexie f: do u bring any ideas to the table for them,or do u just let the director do his thing
Marco Polo: I'm involved with everything to do with my music. mixing, mastering ,recording, visuals. I have delayed video releases before. Shit gotta be right or I ain't having it! I deeded a video for "Crashing Down" that will never see the light of day. Love that song, a bad video can also take away from it. Almost lessen the value.


alexie f: u have a joint on talib kweli's new album (gutter rainbows)which dropped jan 25, called(palookas) its talib featuring (sean price)
that track is crazy.....is he blessing the (port authority 2) album?
Marco Polo: Thank you. Talib Kweli did an incredible song for PA#2. And I have the best producer of all time doing scratches on it. Gonna be a special one for me and hopefully the fans.


alexie f: who would u like to work with that u havent worked with already????
Marco Polo: Styles P, Nas,Ghostface, Raekwon, Jay-Z, Slick Rick, Joell Ortiz, 50 Cent....




alexie f: any last words,plugs etc etc ?????
Marco Polo: thanks for talking to me. I'm working on 3 new albums. PA#2, Another MC collabo album with Hannibal Stax of the Gang Starr Foundation & a 3rd album I'm not at liberty to discuss yet haha. TBA. Follow me on twitter.com/marcopolobeats if you're into that crap. peace.


yo marco,,thank u so much dude,,,this interview was a blast 2 do