Who is A-Mess?!

I recently had the chance to have a one on one conversation with a Union City, New Jersey rapper by the name of A-Mess where I asked him what he been up to musically and what’s to come. As an avid lover of music I often spend my time listening to unsigned artist. A-Mess just so happened to be one of those unsigned artist that I came across on Twitter a few years ago, I began to follow his movement and was nonetheless impressed by his musical style and delivery. He has an extremely large fan-base that continues to grow and has even put together his own in house team called, Lamborghini Dreamz (LD). Not only that he has been crowned one of the best and biggest artist to ever come out of Union City, New Jersey. He has released successful records such as “Shake It”, “Too Fast”, and recent single “Going Down” to name a few. He has achieved worldwide success. Fast forward a couple years and an interview later, and you can get a sneak peek into understanding, “Who Is A-Mess”.

What made you fall in love with music?

Well, I always believed I was born to do music at the age of 12 I remember writing lyrics and expressing myself through music. I connected with the beats right away. It was more of something I loved to do than a hobby. I would say life struggles made me fall in love with music. It became my way out.

Who are your musical influences?

At the age of 12 I looked up to 50 Cent so much. Watching him blow up during the “Get Rich or Die Trying” era inspired me to want to be on stage just like him. I'm 23 now; I'm highly inspired right now by YMCMB and I have since built my own team called Lamborghini Dreamz. My focus is to become the next YMCMB in the near future. Birdman is such an inspiration to me, went from nothing to something.

Being that you are from New Jersey, what are you doing to spread your music to the south or even west coast?

I'm looking to work with more southern artists and make great music. One thing about me I listen to a lot of music from the south. So I'm into their craft and hope to move down south one day. As far as the west coast, I would love to tour for a few months out there and get a feel of the other side!

What can 2014 expect from A-Mess?

You can definitely expect a lot of great music. I believe I'm working the hardest I ever have in my career. My team and I are working on new features with artists across the country so stayed tuned for some new greatness!

What sets you apart from other artist?

I believe the fact that I make music for me, not for the money or the fame. I always make sure to put my life on beats and express myself. Also the fact everything I do is in house. So the music will always sound like a new sound.

Any upcoming shows that you would like the readers to know about?

 As far as right now shows are in the talk of conversation, but I'm really focused on creating new music.

Contact Information:

 AmessManagement@gmail.com

My Music Info Links:

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialAMessTV 

Instagram: @ImChasingDreamz "100,000 Followers" 

Twitter: @ImChasingDreamz 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AMessOnline

Britt Daise

Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

Twitter & Instagram: thisisbritbrat

This Week in Entertainment…

Congratulations to Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz, the couple just announced that they are expecting their second child together. Swizz Beatz already has three other beautiful children from previous relationships. Congratulations, I wonder what they are having this time…hmm!

In Hip-Hop news Remy Ma has finally been released from jail, well at least she was suppose to be. Reports are now stating that the Bronx born rapper won’t be released today due to a disciplinary issue. It is believed that her disciplinary issue is as a result of "third party" calling on July 21st, which ironically was the same day she did the Angie Martinez phone interview. I’m sure this will be resolved within in the next week or so and she will be soon released. Remy was sentenced to eight years, but ended up getting a shorter sentence of six years for assaulting a woman. We will save our formal “welcome back” when a new release date is set. Do you think Remy Ma will reclaim her spot as one of the top female rappers?

Get On Up, the James Brown biopic is set to hit theaters this Friday. This movie has already received good reviews and has been called Oscar worthy. Make sure to go and support the film! Chadwick Boseman, who also played Jackie Robinson in 42, plays James Brown.

For those who watch, the season finale of Power will air on Saturday night at 9/8c. This should turn out to be an intense episode based on how things ended on last week’s episode. Let’s say a prayer for Ghost, because he’s going to need it! (Side note: who would’ve thought that 50 Cent’s character was the mastermind behind “pink shoes”)

PHOTO CREDIT: Google Images

Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot
Twitter & Instagram: thisisbritbrat

Poor Big Sean!

In recent news actress and singer Naya Rivera recently announced that she married fellow actor Ryan Dorsey in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over the weekend. I hadn’t heard of the news (mainly because I could care less) until I logged on Twitter and everyone was sending their condolences to Big Sean. Of course I had to dig deeper to find out what was going. Big Sean and Naya Rivera had only called off their engagement 3 months prior and on top of all of that she got married on the same day that she and Big Sean had planned to marry on. Oh, and Naya still has her engagement ring that Big Sean gave her (that’s none of our business). The bigger question is was all of this too soon? Was Naya having relations with her new hubby on the side, while still with Big Sean?  Was she trying to get back at Big Sean? Who knows!

What are your thoughts? Is dating someone for 2 months and engaged for 1 month too soon to get married?

Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

PHOTO CRED: Google Images

Whoopi Speaks....

Stephen A. Smith recently made comments on his show First Take about the Ray Rice situation, in which he states that a man should never hit a woman under any circumstances, he also stated that he tells the women in his family that they should never “provoke” a man.. *pause* His exact words were “anything to provoke wrong actions”. Women and survivors of domestic violence took offense to this statement (as they should have). I think the usage of the word “provoke” is what made use all say, “Really Stephen A.?! Really." These comments ultimately led to Smith being off the air for a week.

Other celebs have voiced their opinion on his comments as well, the other day Whoopi Goldberg took the statement a little further by saying. “If you make the choice as a woman whose 4 foot 3 and you decide to hit a guy who’s 6 feet tall and you’re the last thing he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised!" Even though her co-host, audience members, and viewers disagreed with her position, Goldberg stuck with it and went on to say, “I know I’m going to catch a lot of hell, and I don’t care. But you have to teach women, do not live with this idea that men have this chivalry thing still with them; don’t assume that that is still in place.” So I guess we can all agree that Whoopi is a firm believer in “keeping your hands to yourself.” I honestly can’t say that I disagree with the last quote, I do think that it’s important for women (and men) to keep their hands to themselves in the midst of a heated argument. No one deserves to be hit, choked, straggled, etc. But I do think there is a double standard when it comes to women and men in domestic disputes. In a previous article that I wrote detailing my thoughts on the “Cartergate Scandal” in which I reminded readers that there is a double standard and that women aren't punished as severely (if at all) in these situations. In general if people learned to respect on another more there will be less of this going on.

What are your thoughts on the comments made by Whoopi Goldberg?



PHOTO CREDIT: Google Images


Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot
Instagram & Twitter: thisisbritbrat

Just When You Thought You Understood Life…

This past week I was sitting at my desk at work when I ran across a few quotes on how important a relationship with God was (nothing I hadn’t heard/read before) and how it was important to align yourself with like-minded people that can easily uplift you in the word and give you positive energy that you need in this negative world. At the beginning of the year I decided to start eating healthier, adding exercising into my daily routine and even meditating more. Many of the people around me thought that this was a rather drastic change, but for me it was all about cleansing. What do I mean by this? I’ll tell you…. 

Once I turned 25 I decided that I wanted to do a cleansing and a reevaluation of the things and people in my life. I realized that I was harboring onto a lot of dead weight that I should not have been. I was allowing too many negative vibes to control my day, and most importantly I was shunning off all activity that required me to run or overly sweat (smh). Although it took me a while to actually get into the routine, I’m glad I made that decision. Aside from all of this I wanted to be that person that spreads positive energy much like I wanted others to do for me in my life. In order to fully be a positive person you have to be willing to remove all negativity from your mind and thoughts…all of the can’t, won’t, I don’t think I can do this, have to be replaced with I CAN, I WILL, I CAN DO THIS. Although this is the most trying and most difficult part of this whole experience, it’s also the most rewarding. It’s nice to see the positive in everything that people see's  negative in. It’s even gotten to the point that if I feel a negative vibe from someone I just remove myself from the situation, because that vibe alone makes me feel so type of way. So how do I steer clear of negativity, well it’s a combination of meditation and prayer. Meditating is such a great thing if you’re doing it correctly, it took a minute for me to learn how to cut off the noises of my daily life, but once I was able to do that I become one with myself. 

Aside from spreading positive vibes and meditating I’ve come to realize the power of food. I’m a complete foodie, but sometimes you become what you eat. I always had this concept that because I’m skinny I’m healthy (knowing good and well I was feeding myself lies), but this is what I told myself so I wouldn’t feel guilty about eating Popeye’s Chicken. I’ve now come to realize that you have to fuel your body with healthy foods and exercise, in order to feel and look healthy. So this meant I had to be selective on what I eat. At the top of the year I decided to give up beef and pork which turned out to be a relatively easy thing to do. The hardest part has been completely crossing out fried chicken and fried seafood from my diet. None the less as I sit back and look at the progress I’ve made, since the top of the year I couldn’t be more proud of myself. I’ve just about removed anyone whom I felt was negative in my life and I have chosen to live a healthier yet positive life.

I said all of that to say, sometimes you don’t understand life until you take a step back and reevaluate and cleanse. Sometimes you have to get back to the basics in order to see what and who needs to be in your life. For me this required me to surround myself with more positive minded people, eat healthier, exercise more, and most importantly meditate. Everyone has their own route that they take when they get to this point in their life, but this is what worked for me. Once I did this I came to realize that its more to life than what's on the surface, sometimes you have to dig deeper into your inner self in order to discover things about yourself that you didn’t know you possessed.

POSITIVE VIBE, POSITIVE MIND, POSITIVE LIFE

Britt Daise

Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot
Twitter & Instagram: thisisbritbrat

PHOTO CRED: Google Images

Tiny vs. T.I. – Battle of the Songs

If you haven’t heard about what’s going on with Tiny Harris and rapper T.I.’s marriage then you've been living under a rock. There have been reports that T.I. has been unfaithful to Tiny and she’s finally had enough. Despite the Floyd Mayweather cheating speculations and T.I.’s “beat down” of Floyd Mayweather, the couple has separately released tracks detailing how they currently feel about the state of their relationship. In T.I.’s “Stay,” he is pretty much acknowledging wrong doing on his part and is asking Tiny to stay with him. Then on the converse side of things, Tiny sings about being a “ride or die” chick only to feel as if she is still alone as she contemplates stepping out on her own in her song “What the F@#k you Gon Do?”. Both songs are great musically, but it’s sad to see another married couple in this position. We wish them the best; hopefully they can work things out!

So I have to ask, when do you throw in the white flag and say enough is enough in a relationship? If your partner/spouse cheated, could you forgive them and take them back?

Check out their new songs

Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

Do Guys Really Appreciate a Woman with Natural Hair?

The other day I was racing down the escalator in hopes to catch the train that usually comes around 5 before it left, it was a Friday evening and I was over work and anything that went along with it. As I took a break mid way down the escalator a guy approaches me and says “please keep your hair natural, it’s beautiful”. I wasn’t expecting that, but I said “thanks” and assured him that I wouldn’t change the natural state of my hair. I was flattered to come across a guy that appreciated a woman with natural hair. I’d been approached by guys before that were completely mesmerized by my natural hair and were so mesmerized that they would like to touch and run their fingers through my coily hair. Then you come in contact with guys who are just as equally mesmerized, but are quick to ask you to straighten your hair. These are the guys I dread meeting.  Anyone who has gone through the natural hair process rather it's via transitioning or the big chop, realizes it can be an emotional journey. For me I was not use to not having my hair touch my back so when someone would compliment my hair, but then turn around and say, “It would look so much better straightened” it was like an emotional setback.  Thankfully, I’m at a place where I honestly don’t care how one wants my hair, I rock it how I like to which is not straightened but in the natural state. As a woman I feel we shouldn't change the way our hair looks to appease the likes of some guy or a job for that matter.

 Being natural for me and many other women isn’t some trend that we’ve decided to be a part of, but rather a lifestyle. This is who we are. Men have their preference and are entitled to that, but fellas if you approach a woman that has natural don’t insist that she would look better if her hair was straightened.

So I have to ask, fellas what are your thoughts on women with natural hair. Do you find it more or less attractive?


Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

Twitter: @thisisbee
Instagram: thisisbritbrat

What are Women Expected To Do in a Relationship?

I was recently tagged in a post on Facebook that contained 8 things that women should do but don’t in a relationship. I agreed with all but one of the things, so instead I decided to come up with my own things that I women should do in a relationship, but don’t.

1.       Support your man. This should go without saying, but many women lack this. I think it’s so important to support the one you’re with, if and only if the dream seems attainable. If he’s knocking on 40 and still trying to be a rapper, actor, and producer, let him know his time is up! Otherwise ladies lets support our men.

2.       Be a listening ear. I know you’re like what? Sometimes men, like many women want to vent or simply need advice on what to do. SIT AND LISTEN! And be able to give sound advice when he’s done talking.

3.       Cooking and Cleaning. Now as a woman I’m not opposed to a man cooking dinner for me, but there is nothing wrong with having a hot meal on the table when he gets in from a long day. (You can fix your own plate though). Make sure that if you guys are married or co-habituating that you keep the house clean. (Fellas there is nothing wrong with picking up after yourselves)

4.       Give him some breathing room. If you’re not a woman who doesn’t like sports, then give him his breathing room during March Madness or Football season. Let him enjoy his sports without you breathing down his neck or asking him a billion and on questions. Aside from that ladies, don’t be clingy unless that’s the arrangement that you and your man have, trust it’s okay to go a couple hours without each other.

5.       Know what your man needs. This is important whether sexually or emotionally it’s important that we know what our man needs are in order to properly fulfill them.  Sometimes as women we are so focused on getting our needs met that we tend to forget the needs of our man. It’s okay to cater to your man ladies.

6.       Never get too comfortable. It comes a point in every relationship where you get too comfortable. You stop doing your hair. When you went on dates you would dress up, now its sweats and converse. You use to be in the gym getting your body right, now you sit and watch re-runs of your favorite show with a tub of ice cream in hand. Let’s put an end to this.  Look good for your man, the object is to keep him and keep him interested in YOU, not the chick walking by.

7.       Last but not least act like a lady. This should not need further explanation, but if it does then nine times out ten you haven’t been acting as such, so you should probably Google what it means.


Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

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PHOTO CRED: Google Images

Fourth of July...Did You Celebrate It?

Yesterday was the Fourth of July, I know everyone had their grills going, wore their red, white, and blue proudly. Happy to be an American, right? For African Americans this day should have been a reflection, not a celebration. When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 we (African Americans) weren’t amongst those that were free. Now you may ask why I am still hung up on this. The answer is simple, this holiday wasn’t designed for us. Yes it’s cool to partake in the festivities and enjoy the fireworks, but we need to know our history while doing so. The day after the Fourth of July in 1852, Fredrick Douglas gave a speech in which he said amongst other things:  "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.... Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?" This statement alone speaks volumes and should make you seriously think. Why don’t we as African Americans celebrate milestones such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Emancipation Proclamation (Juneteenth) in the same manner that we celebrate the fourth of July?! Y’all don’t hear me though…

Frederick Douglas’: "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"

Britt Daise

Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

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PHOTO CRED: Google Images

Why Hate on an African-American Woman in Power?!

I take the train to and from my internship daily to avoid the inevitable traffic of Atlanta. We all know that there are some interesting characters on public transportation. I'm use to having some very overly dramatic individual sing tunes or blast their music from their phone instead of using this neat little invention called HEADPHONES. But that's not the issue, as I'm sitting I’m over hearing a woman speak negatively of her African-American female boss. Now the issue that I have with this conversation was that she said she couldn't stand working for her new boss because she's too boogie and uppity and she thought she was better than most. When she said that I immediately thought, “okay and?” On top of that she said she hated seeing African-American women in power especially as her boss. (I'm not making any of this up). I literally had to turn around to see who was speaking. I was in awe that someone from our very own black community and a woman at that would speak so negatively of another African-American woman. Don’t we get that enough in the real world?! I really wanted to tell her to “shut the hell up” and “get her life in order” or that maybe she should congratulate her boss for being African-American and in such a high position. But then I realized I was out numbered and I was by myself, so I figured I’d keep my comments to myself. Do other African-American women feel this way? I personally don't. I love seeing African American women in high positions of power. I myself want to get to that point one day, but women like the one on the train make it even harder for black women to have success stories.

I chalked her dismay for her new boss up to the fact that maybe her new boss didn't let her do as she pleases, but then "sister girl" spoke again. Apparently this isn't her first African-American female boss, the last person that held the position was also an African-American female. So what does this mean? Do African-American women feel inferior when another African-American woman is in the position of power? Who knows her real logic behind her statements, I just personally found it baffling. Why not uplift our African American women instead of constantly tearing them down. I was happy nonetheless when “sister girl” got off the train, but it made me seriously think about the direction that our African-American community is going in. I feel that it’s important for us to not only be in positions of power, but to uplift on another on our journey there.  Congratulations to all the African-American women in power! #BlackExcellence

Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

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PHOTO CRED: Google Images

In case you missed it....

A student from Queens, NY by the name of Shanelle Davis recently became Benjamin Cardozo High School’s first African-American Valedictorian. To top off this great achievement she is set to head to Harvard in the fall on a full ride scholarship. She will be the first in her family to attend a four-year college. Congratulations to Shanelle and best of luck at Harvard! #BlackExcellence #Urban Echelon

Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

Where to Next....Free Agency

So we have to ask, where do you think the Miami Heat All-Stars (James, Wade, and Bosh) and Carmelo Anthony will end up? My guess is that the Miami Heat All-Stars will stay put in Miami, but only for more money. I don’t see why a championship team would split up and everyone go elsewhere. Or do you think they are planning to dominate under another team? Carmelo Anthony is set to meet with the Lakers and Bulls amongst other teams this week. My hopes is that he will choose either team (Go Lakers!), but my question is will Derrick Rose accept him with open arms if he decides to go with the Bulls. Based on his recent comments it doesn’t seem like Rose is willing to share the spotlight with Melo. I guess the injury plagued Rose wants all of the lights on him.

Time will only tell where these players will end up. What are your thoughts on where these players might go?


Britt Daise
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot

PHOTO CRED: Google Images