20 September, 2022 Kelen Conley Reviews, Writing

Changes (2021)

9/10

I really hit a Tupac period over the summer. Frustrated at work and tired, I buried myself in some long form YouTube videos about the fallen MC. I started working my way through his pre-death discography backwards and as I reached the end of All Eyez On Me, I searched around to see if the definite book about Pac had been written. When I saw Changes was an oral history about Tupac, I set out to acquire it.

I fell in love with oral histories when Grantland was a thing and Changes does not disappoint in that area. It paints a picture of Tupac told through the eyes of those who knew him, from the kid who asked for a job when Tupac came to his prom to the Las Vegas beat reporter who covered the last 7 days of his life.

There’s not a lot of time spent on the things we already know. Pearce instead tells about the NY kid who moved to Baltimore, who flourished, who then moved to Oakland and still flourished. We find out how instead of getting angry with Wendy Day when she wrote him in prison and scolded him for being there, he responded with kind words and the utmost respect. Pearce writes of how close Tupac was to being exonerated in 1994 and how his rape conviction set him him on the path that led him to his death 2 years later.

I felt like I had many holes in my knowledge of who Tupac was coming into this read but I have a better understanding from the narrative Pearce created. At the heart of it all, Pac was a 25 year old kid who had the world at his feet, a complete lack of fear, and the flaw of being loyal to a fault. That loyalty is what got him killed. It may have gotten him killed regardless. But that loyalty is also what made him such an incredible figure who left such a huge impact on this world in such a brief stay.

Outstanding read. Will revisit again.

13 September, 2022 Kelen Conley Reviews, Writing

Will (2021)

7.5/10

I read this post-slap and it made Oscar night make so much more sense. I would’ve never guessed that Will lived the life he did prior to his music and acting career. He truly believed that he could protect himself and his family through performance.

There’s so cringy moments for sure. Also inspirational ones. I understand why he felt the need to hold book camp with his family and friends on his YouTube channel to read them excerpts prior to it’s release.

He speaks as someone who’s been to the mountaintop and has never had a reason to come down and the arrogance is something to behold. It also makes the subject even more compelling.

I would like to read this again eventually and it wouldn’t surprise me if there comes an updated version containing his YouTube/King Richard/slap era in the near future.

17 December, 2019 Kelen Conley B Hyphen, Info, Writing

Just Like Music

I’m not going to try to do anything fancy here. I’m ready to make some new music.

I have almost two whole verses written over the back half of Primo’s “A Million And One Questions” instrumental. That’s it. But I’m trying to make myself accountable for actually attempting to release new music. It hasn’t worked so well in the past, but we’ll see what happens.

I first considered this prior to the Soundvizion Reunion of 2018. How hard could it be to throw together a new mixtape and an album by November when you had 3 months notice? Pretty difficult when you have no beats and you haven’t written a viable bar in a few years. So that came and went but I continued to look for beats for a project that probably wasn’t going to happen (and still might not).

At some point, I had started an Excel sheet with song titles, instrumentals for mixtapes, sample ideas (if I ever learn to produce, it’ll be a miracle) and potential song covers I wanted to try. I hoped the song titles would motivate me to record somehow; they did not.

I know at one point I considered calling my next album Memorial Bridge Drive but then 2014 Forest Hills Drive came out. Then I became obsessed with this version of Mac Miller’s “Objects In The Mirror”:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gbl-IDp1qc&w=560&h=315]

This is back when I thought I could sonically switch up my sound somehow and I was thinking this and a few other songs would end up being my inspiration. Long story short, Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic is the album I wanted to make in my head but was never capable of, just in case you were wondering.

I decided on titles for my two projects that were supposed to be out for last year’s Soundvizion Reunion: Thunderstorm 2 and Hyphen. I’ve always been dying to record another Thunderstorm and if I’m ever going to do it, why not now? And Hyphen just seemed like a fitting title for my second album. It says it all while saying very little.

So I can tell you, I still plan on making both of those projects.

To be honest, between losing two moms about 5 years (!) ago and now with Matt moving to New Zealand, I’ve been through some loss that I feel can only express properly through music. Not to mention having Aaliyah now has definitely changed my perspective. As the day drew near last month for Matt and his family to leave the US, I had the bright idea of making “Death Before Dishonor Part 5” as a going away present. Except, there was no “DBD Part 4″…

I suppose I’m at the part where I tell you my plan. I have this little fantasy that all this will be done in 2020 but with Hyphen Nation, A Podcast Called Fresh, Victory Jumpoff Radio, another possible pod, and being in charge of Hyphen Podcast Group, excuse me while I crying laughing emoji myself to death.

😂😂😂😂

Project 1 – Thunderstorm 2: I know I can’t stream it but this really has to be checked off the list. A bunch of dope instrumentals with me flexing all over them; what could go wrong? I’m thinking this will be about 10 tracks.

Project 2 – The Mind’s Mixtape volume V: This is where “Death Before Dishonor Part 4 & 5” will be located. More industry instrumentals but a few originals songs too. This is going to be where I’ll do my heavy lyrical thinking. Probably 10 more tracks but I wouldn’t be scared to add a few extra.

Project 3 – Hyphen: The follow-up to Soon You’ll Understand. I’m not sure what this ride will be but I’m thinking no more than 14 tracks.

Project 4 – ????: All I can tell you is this is a collaborative project, if and when it gets off the ground. Ever hear how ?uestlove and D’Angelo would watch live Prince performances for hours and then start recording during the Voodoo sessions? Something along those lines.

Project 5 – Covers: I’m going to clean up my YouTube channel to properly house things where they belong. Once that’s done, I plan on doing some covers at some point. As long as they’re good. Lord knows I’ve never been a great video artist so if anything, you’ll get in-studio stuff and live performances.

And that pretty much sums it up. This post will either forever taunt me as a task left unfinished or I start checking some of these things off. But I do know, that I’m officially back in the music business. You know, as time allows.

Edit: Found some old photos I’d be hanging on to for this post. I used to put all my song titles on poster board and check them off as I went. I’m way too early in the process for this now but I still think they’re cool.

Also: I’m doing new music solely for me. If people listen, great.

5 March, 2019 Kelen Conley B Hyphen, Soon You’ll Understand

Five Years Of Soon You’ll Understand

if it hadn’t been for Facebook memories, I would’ve had no idea what today was. On March 5th, 2014, I released my debut solo album Soon You’ll Understand. Written and recorded from 2010 to 2013, this and my mixtape The Mind’s Mixtape volume 4 was a true labor of love. Volume 4 is approaching its 6th anniversary in April.

Originally titled Nerd Fresh, then Spideyville Unlimited, I eventually settled on Soon You’ll Understand when I recalled what I had wanted to call my debut album way back in the early 2000s. I stole the title from Jay-Z’s Dynasty: Roc La Familia album in case you weren’t familiar. After sitting on the music for over a year, I pegged March 5th as the day the album would see its release. I trimmed the tracklisting down from 14 tracks to 10 tracks, mixed and mastered and mixed and mastered, and then I took the day off from work. I spent the day meticulously uploading the music to every known service I could think of and then I posted it on my website, then bhyphen.com. Thanks to RouteNote, the album eventually made its way onto most of the popular streaming services shortly thereafter.

I’m still damn proud of this album. It holds up, at least for me. It’s a culmination of 17 years of writing and rapping. So to mark the occasion, I dug in the old archives (and I do mean dug because I had to literally go through XML files in order to find these original posts) and found backstories I’d written for each track shortly after the album’s release and a few weeks before Aaliyah was born. So other than a little cleanup for broken links and things like that, I present to you my thoughts at the time. Happy 5th anniversary Soon You’ll Understand. Here’s to many more.

1. A Journey Of Great Power & Responsibility [Produced by 227 Digitalmasterz]

SYU is ultimately a concept album. At its and volume 4‘s inceptions, I planned to have both the mixtape and the album out before I turned 30 and that was it. I wasn’t planning on recording any more music other than possibly for a Nerd Fresh project or for guest appearances. And then I started hanging out with E more regularly. He convinced me not to quit making music but to make music in ways that made me happy again. So with the birth of my daughter next month, I’m not sure when the next time I make music will be but I can definitely say, that this isn’t supposed to be my final project.

At the same time, the whole album is about releasing my final chapter as an artist into the world and this song is the perfect way to do it. I compare the album to a child leaving home and how I need to release the album so that myself and immediate family members can move on with our lives. At its core, the song is a temper tantrum and I like to compare it to what happened to the SHIELD helicarrier in Avengers after Bruce hulks out.

Most importantly, this is my first official solo release over a 227 Digitalmasterz aka DJ Monstalung production. I’ve done Nerd Fresh records, I’ve done features, I’ve even had beats handed to me on a platter that I didn’t use. But this was the one. I could never think of a better way to kick off SYU.

2. Better With Bacon (The Hyphen) [Produced by B.A.C.O.N. Beats]

So Big Chief aka B.A.C.O.N. Beats had been promising to make me beats for years. I never took it personally, the man is anything if not a great father and husband. So one day when 2 beats appeared in my inbox, I was like a kid on Christmas. The other beat became the released, then unreleased “Not Like Them (Eveything Is Alright)”.

The instrumental always sounded like entrance music for a wrestler, so I attacked it as such. “Better With Bacon…” is one big promo cut by the company’s best talent, in this case, I happen to be said talent. Numerous wrestling references, a shoutout to Anthony and Parkersburg due to the fact that I wrote most of the song there, and a hook that gives due to the 304 Reconz, a group that Chief has been a part of since the early 2000’s.

And I got a bacon reference on my album!

3. No Room For Squares [Produced by Profit Money]

I love this track because it’s one big contradiction. The title suggests that it’s about not having time to deal with squares aka nerds, geeks, dorks, outcasts, etc. But the entire song is the complete opposite of how I love all things that are considered outside the box. References include Deloreans, PopCopy, lightsabers, The Incredibles, Superbad, and more.

I’m essentially turning the concept of square on it’s head here. If you don’t like any of these things I mention in the song, then clearly you are the square, and you are the person I don’t have time for. I think it’s a nice way to battle a sterotype that’s always bugged me for years.

This track also contains the first of two bass pieces provided by Kwame Amponsem. I thought it would be a nice transition to “Rewind” to include it here.

4. Rewind [Produced by 95]

Laid Back Gigolo Rap – Derrick Ferguson

I’ve always been terrible at getting over the friend hump with women. My wife and I were friends for almost 2 years before we officially started dating. Sure, there was some kisses here and there, but there was nothing steady until April 2003. And I’ve always ran into the most ridiculous situations.

Some of the tales used in “Rewind” are true. Some completely false. The Nas and Jay-Z argument in the dorm room in the wee hours of the morning? True, Wes was there. The shy girl who hooked up with the baseball team? True. The late night walk turned into late night dorm visit turned into back to my dorm room alone? False.The girl I met my first year at college who had a boyfriend, thus rendering my chances to zero? True. That’s Angel.

But really, I had Good Ol’ Charlie Brown and that Old Parker luck. As I mentioned in the song, if I had of pulled all of those girls, Angel wouldn’t be with me now. So it definitely worked out better than 18 year old Kelen could imagine. But it doesn’t make those tales any less hilarious.

5. ‘Fit Jammin’ [Produced by Profit Money]

This is the closest thing to a club record on the entire album. Profit had made this beat and included it on a beat CD for Soundvizion years ago. He told me I couldn’t have it unless it went unused. So I stashed the beat away and I waited.

At one point, Johnny Harmonic told me I could not use the beat as he was going to use it for his album. So I waited. Johnny’s album still hasn’t come out. I don’t know if he ever recorded over the beat. If he did, my sincerest apologies. Sincerely.

By 2012, I was ready to start working on my album seriously (principle recording was finished in early 2013, just to show how long I sat on the album before a few weeks ago), and this amazing track hadn’t been used. But what to say?

I decided to name the track in honor of its producer a la “Jam-Master Jay” from Run DMC’s debut album. The first verse is about Profit himself. The second and third verses are just me showing off essentially. I feel like the hook came to me before the verses, which is weird considering I’m normally the opposite. It just seemed like a natural fit for a song that immediately makes you want to dance.

At 2:28, it’s the shortest track of SYU, which may be another reason why it’s so damn good. Again, Johnny, if you recorded over this, I really didn’t mean to steal your beat. Intentionally anyway.

6. Legacy [Produced by Timothy Dalton]

Tim’s uncle goes by Bubz Beats and is one of E’s best friends, so I’ve hung out with him a few times. Even though I’ve never met him personally, I was shopping for beats in 2011 and Tim sent me a few. One was a truly awesome beat that sampled the MAS*H theme and the other one was the one that became “Legacy”.

I feel like this was one of those “wrote it in The Shoe Dept. before the store opened or anyone else got there” songs in the vein of “This Place”. It finds me debating what I’ll be known for when I die. Would it be my music? Would it be as a writer? Would be as a good friend? Would it be as an asshole? Mind you, I wasn’t married yet and didn’t have a child on the way either. Both of those things make me feel like I will have been known for something when it’s all over, but this feeling is something we’ve all dealt with from time to time.

I’m glad that this made the album as it is easily one of the most emotionally raw songs that I recorded. While I feel like most of the deep songs made volume 4, it’s nice to have this because it lets people know that I tackle most of my issues head on and on the record. And hopefully, they’ll check out my older stuff.

I’m really glad I got to showcase Tim’s excellent work production-wise too. While I can’t guarantee his demand will go up, it shows how deserving Tim is of more production opportunities. Oh yeah, he raps too.

Now, someone please get that MAS*H beat off him and destroy it!

7. Limited Edition (No Competition) (feat. Thack) [Produced by 95}

This is the little record that could. I don’t remember exactly when 95 gave me this beat but I always knew it was destined for my album. I had opportunities to use it on mixtapes. But I just knew I had to keep it for the album. If I hadn’t, I can’t honestly say this album would be here now.

By holding onto ONE record, I never fully gave up on doing my album. I always knew that I had to surround this ONE record with other records to make a complete album, and it gave me the motivation I needed to eventually get to it. It’s one of the reasons I had wanted to have 95 as one of the executive producers until I split up the songs I did over his beats between SYU and volume 4.

And I’ve mentioned the third verse before. I originally wanted to get 6’6 240 on it. I know I gave the song to E, but it got lost in the shuffle. Shortly after that, 6 moved to Cleveland, and only recently started recording new material. So I didn’t pursue him after he left.

I offered the song to Cookiehead Jenkins of Charleston but he had a lot going on at the time and never got to complete it (not that I know of).

I asked Huey Mack to do it and he said he would but he also happened to be getting more popular at that time. He even said he took it with him to the studio a few times. But it wasn’t meant to be there either.

I finally decided to ask the homie Thack and sure enough, he killed it. And I couldn’t imagine this track without him on it now.

As for the song’s meaning, I was just writing it from an extremely confident place. You could almost call this Better With Bacon’s older sibling due to the wrestling references on the second verse. It’s meant to make you feel good about yourself.

I wish I had kept a copy of this song every time I re-recorded it though. I could make a double album with that alone.

8. Winter’s Lament (Miami’s Gone) [Produced by Lip Beats]

In 2012, I went to Miami for essentially 2 days for WrestleMania XXVIII and my life was never the same. Mostly, I fell in love with the climate. Being from West Virginia, I’m used to cold, long winters. But I never hated them until after I came back from Miami.

This song is really about depression. While never diagnosed officially, depression is something I’ve suffered from since I was 16 off and on. The comenzaron a beber sample in the song translates to “they began to drink”, which is what I did in Miami and what I tend to do when I’m down. I called it “Winter’s Lament” since it was winter when I wrote it and lament means a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. According to Google any way.

Little did I know that this song would fit this winter way more than last, but I believe this to be a hidden gem on the album. If you’ve experienced the feelings I convey on the track, then you probably dig this one. If you haven’t, you may find it skippable. But know one thing: I really miss Miami.

9. Independent Headspace [Produced by 95]

Of all the songs on SYU, I may be most proud of this one. Another gem that 95 gave me, the beat inspired a happy, reflective feeling inside of me.

I really felt the album was lacking upbeat, carefree material other than “‘Fit Jammin’”, and I thought the idea of adding one more song in that vein would help round out everything. This song encapsulates a positive vibe throughout and displays more than the theme of “This might be my first and last album” that SYU is filled with. I especially love the lyrics of the third verse, which I think is one of my best motivational rhymes I’ve ever written.

It doesn’t hurt that the instrumental reminds me of DJ Premier, something I mentioned on the song’s intro. Of course, it took E saying that 95 may have sampled Primo to make this beat before I even thought of it. I don’t really want to know though; I love this song without knowing what inspired it previously.

Kwame makes his second and last appearance of the album with his bass at the track’s conclusion. I definitely listened to his first bass part when he sent it, but didn’t hear this one until I was sequencing. It’s “Thank You For Being A Friend” bka the theme song from The Golden Girls.

Love you too Kwame.

10. World Without The Hyphen [Produced by Lip Beats]

I couldn’t listen to this song without crying for the longest time.

Let me explain: when I first listened back to it after I recorded it, I really thought that was it. SYU was supposed to be my first and last album. The last music I ever did. I was about to get married, I was ready to start a new chapter. And at the time, I didn’t think music could be a part of that new chapter, as chronicled in: “American Love Story”.

Fast forward to two years after I finished the song/mixtape/album, and I still have it in my head that I’m an active artist.

But that’s not true. I contributed a verse to a track called “Morgantown MCs 2014” that will come out on a WV hip-hop compilation called Stuck In Our Ways. Nerd Fresh currently has two songs to our credit, so I don’t know if we’ll ever get a full project finished. E wanted me to do a joint project with him entitled Bonded, and I even finished a song for it, “In The Beginning”, but that was recorded during the process of the mixtape/album.

The last time I touched my microphone musically was to record “Felina”. I attempted to turn on my desktop, where I do all my recording a month ago and now it’s stuck on infinite loop on the Windows XP loading screen. Funny thing is, I said I was going to dismantle that PC anyway after I finished the mixtape/album. I’ve only had it since 2000.

I’m actually listening to less and less rap. Unless there’s a name attached that I really care about, I ignore it. Hell, I haven’t even listened to Drake’s latest music and that’s one of the names I check for.

Soon You’ll Understand could be my first and last album. My wife is about to give birth to our first child any day. I want to focus more on my writing. I’m even resisting urges to write new stuff because I don’t know how long it will go unrecorded.

So this final track… isn’t a lie. As long as I’m breathing, there will never be a world without the Hyphen. But there may be a world without new Hyphen music. So this album is my crowning achievement. I said during the entire process that I would be happy with my career ending on this note.

The best part? The Lazlo Bane sample of their song “Superman”, better known as the theme song from my favorite TV show ever, Scrubs. You crazy for this one Lip Beats.

1 June, 2016 Kelen Conley B Hyphen, Info, Writing

June 16

I have a set on June 16 at 123 Pleasant Street and I’m absolutely terrified. The last time I tried to perform was for a Nerd Fresh set last year and I was terrible. Not terrible to the crowd but I didn’t remember any of my lyrics. I had gotten so comfortable sliding in and out of Quie sets and doing my part in those that I had melted on the stage for the first time in a long time.

Going back to that long time, it would have to be when I took part in a contest at 123, where you could win $100 for being the best performer of the night. I spent weeks getting psyched up because I wanted to win so badly. I was short with some of my best friends at the actual show because I was so “focused”. I gave the best performance of “What It Look Like” ever in the first round and I advanced to the second. I decided I wanted to get emotional with my second song and I attempted to perform “Playing Back Moments”, which is partially written about Meuwl. I don’t remember how far I got before I cracked; I flamed out through the rest of the song and could barely remember lyrics. I got off stage disappointed and vowed to never take myself that seriously again.

The last set I had was at Buck’s (RIP) in 2013, not long after The Mind’s Mixtape volume 4 was released. Mary and Heather made the trek out to see me that night and I once again forgot my lyrics. Anthony made fun of me and Mary threatened him. I love Mary. I didn’t think too much of it as I still assumed at the time that I was done with music after Soon You’ll Understand came out, which was already done by then. Of course, the bug E had planted in my ear during all those Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at his house had taken hold; here I am in 2016 itching as bad as ever to record some new music for my next album.

So in what really adds up to be a few days, I’m supposed to take the stage and perform. I know what I’m doing and I know I can put on a solid show. Cortez is DJ-ing and I know we have a great chemistry together on stage (which reminds me again, sorry about never being able to commit to Electrocompulsive Therapy, I still owe you time ripping vinyl to your computer for DJ-ing our wedding, and congratulations on the baby on the way!). I have plenty of songs to choose from for my set. If there’s one that I really want to do, it’s “‘Fit Jammin’” as I’ve never performed it live. I have to do “Vibe” if Cortez is spinning because we haven’t performed it together in at least 5 years. I could attempt to do “Morgantown MCs 2014” or “8 x Four” but I think I’d rather keep this set self-contained, mostly because MI lives out of town now.

I’m nervous because I really want to get back on stage and kill it like I used to do. I’d say my peak performances came between late 2010 to mid 2011, you know, when I focused only on music and I ignored everything else in my life and I almost lost everything important to me (see “American Love Story”)? I want to get back to get back there… I just fear I can’t get back to that point.

I’m also ready to record new music but I won’t have anything new ready for the show. I have a spreadsheet full of song titles and I couple voice memos with hook ideas. I actually wrote my first verse since 2014 back in February and it was okay for getting back in the groove. I’ve been half freestyling/half bullshitting through email with Matt. I just know that this time out isn’t going to be like volume 4/SYU. I still had the poster board filled with song titles and when I found the right beat I would write songs to fit those titles. I think that format still works for my vision for my sophomore set. But I want my sound to be different.

There’s one major thing I want to do with my music going forward but if I mention it, I feel like people will be listening to hear that major thing, so I’m not going to say. If that makes sense. I also know there’s a certain vibe I’m shooting for as well but I don’t know how I’m going to achieve it.

I want this album to be… very melodic. Not that SYU didn’t have it’s melodic moments but I know as a writer how important melody is to me now. As amazing as “Better With Bacon” is, I don’t feel like I need to make songs for this album like that. I think I’ve evolved. I want to make… happy music, if that makes any sense.

When did Pharrell’s “Happy” come out? Two years ago? That song changed my world view. Not of Pharrell, as he obviously had proved he was genre and box proof throughout his whole career. But the fact that this simple song that was made for the soundtrack of a kid’s film took over the world floored me. As simple as it may seem, there is so much more to “Happy” than what you notice on your 4th listen or your 400th listen. “Happy” is timeless. You don’t get sick of “Happy”. You might have felt that way when it was on the radio everyday but if you play it right now, well, you’ll know how you feel.

The first time I zoned in on this new direction for my own music came while listening to Pharrell’s album Girl. There’s a hidden track called “Freq” in the middle of the album and if you never noticed it, please take the time to listen to it now. I know this sounds cliched and corny, but “Freq” spoke to me differently than anything else I had heard in my life.

Shortly after I discovered “Freq”, I spent many work days pairing it with an unreleased song I had been sitting on for a few years (which hopefully sees release this year). Listening to the two back to back put me in the right kind of headspace no matter what was going on. I knew that when the time came to record new music, this was the type of vibe I wanted.

This was in 2015 or so when I discovered this “new” path I wanted to trek down musically. Since then, I caught up on the (almost) countless podcasts that I hadn’t edited from 2013 and 2014 and got them posted. I started “focusing” on writing more. I relaunched Victory Jumpoff Radio and officially launched my Hyphen Nation podcast.

Despite the itch to create music returning stronger every day, I was still not immersing myself enough to truly feel like I could make this musical transition. I debated on changing my name again, hoping that would provide the correct jumping off point for my new music.

Before I could really get into the renaming process though, I decided that it was time to revisit D’Angelo’s sophomore album Voodoo. I had a burned copy that I had last listened to in 2010 or 2011 when I lived on Green Street and I kept reading how classic the album was. I personally always enjoyed Brown Sugar more but after reading some of the process that D and Questlove went through to record the album, I figured my 33 year old ears would hear something different.

That last sentence was an understatement. Voodoo as a whole reawakened that same feeling that “Freq” had almost a year ago. Something I’ve learned over the years is to appreciate an album as one piece of music; Matt had mentioned not liking Take Care shortly after its release in 2011. My response (beyond my typical love of Drake) was to listen to Take Care altogether. As much as I enjoy “Headlines”, “Marvin’s Room”, and “The Ride”, listening to those tracks as they were sequenced together makes them that much more enjoyable.

Voodoo isn’t just “Devil’s Pie”, “Left And Right”, and “Untitled”. Voodoo starts with “Playa Playa” and ends in “Africa”. Taking it at any less than that is a mistake, a mistake that I learned 16 years after Voodoo was released to the public. I need to relisten to Black Messiah because maybe there’s more lessons to be heard there.

Wise sent me a photo of a burned copy of volume Three I had made for him in 2008, which I forwarded to Matt. Matt said it made him want to relisten to Thunderstorm for the first time in ages. I explained my theory of 2005 B Hyphen in an email to him and the whole idea of being in a confident enough space to experiment lives in the same rapper I was 11 years ago. It took me a while to get back to that zone but now that I’m here, I’m comfortable and not planning on leaving anytime soon.

So my new music isn’t going to feature me rapping less, singing more, or using auto-tune every chance I get. Nor am I going to start playing instruments (although, I truly would love to produce this project myself. I don’t know if that’s possible). And I’m not going to promise that my sound will drastically change and make you reevaluate your place in life. I just promise that this project (projects?) will be better than volume 4 and SYU. As Joe Budden once said often, you’re now listening to the growth.

One last thing before I wrap this up (I really have no clue why I’ve gone into such detail): I really want my music to have a pop/funk feel. Hear it me out. I don’t mean I want to make bubblegum records; I mean I want my music to have a nice, clean universal sound. One of the things I think SYU suffered from was how random it was; I had 10 dope beats, E and I sequenced it, and that was it. I really want the sounds and the music to come from a certain place… and right now I’m feeling a funk/pop vibe. Trust me, it’ll be dope. Maybe I’ve just been too influenced by certain sounds on the radio (“Uptown Funk” anyone?) or maybe it’s just what I’ve been listening to musically lately (the aforementioned Voodoo and Prince’s HitNRun Phase One), but I know if I find that place, then this next music is going the direction I’m wanting to take it.

I’m hoping to get onstage June 16 and recapture some magic. Being on the stage has always brought me a weird form of peace, even if I go up and have a horrible show in my mind. I guess it’s not weird if you understand it; it’s an extension of how at peace I am when I get to record because I’m still getting to share my music with other people. I have two weeks to make sure that I can touch the 123 Pleasant Street stage that night and not stink up the place. Any good vibes you want to send my way would be appreciated.

Now to figure out the setlist.

15 June, 2012 Kelen Conley B Hyphen, The Thunderstorm Mixtape

Thunderstorm Revisited

When I finally made the decision to record my final mixtape and first (and last) album, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and listen to my previous releases. Not only would it be good to hear songs I recorded as long as 8 years ago, I might learn something about myself along the way.

I listened to The Mind’s Mixtape volume 1 and volume II first and my reaction to them has pretty much remained the same. I was a kid who thought that just by recording a mixtape, I’d be the next rapper to blow. This was at a time where I knew little about song structure other than the fact that most rap songs had three verses and a hook. All of volume 1 was recorded without the knowledge that I wasn’t rapping on beat. I had already started writing songs for volume II when Da Ghostrida (Jeff Moore, a rapper I used to trade rhymes with back in my Abyss Battle Boardz days) told me I had no concept of a bar. After correcting this near-fatal error, the rest of volume II was recorded as properly as I could get it.

This was at a time when I thought I was one of the few people in West Virginia rapping, so I really thought I was the best rapper around. It wasn’t until halfway through recording that I discovered that WV had a diverse pool of rapping talent around the state. While this new information didn’t have a direct effect on volume II, it set the table for what Thunderstorm would be.

I released volume II on March 9, 2005. While my recollection is fuzzy now, I feel like the writing/recording process for both volume 1 and II was 5 months each. I had told myself I would take some time off (Which makes no sense when you’re an aspiring rapper. Don’t take time off. Write, record, release. Wash and repeat.) just to regroup and get the creative fires burning again. Lucky for me, I ended up getting inspired by Cam’ron’s “Get ‘Em Daddy” some time in April. I decided it was time to record again but instead of The Mind’s Mixtape volume Three, I would name this project: The Thunderstorm Mixtape.

The goal of The Thunderstorm Mixtape was for me to make a happier project. Volume 1 and II had come at a time where I still considered myself a conscious rapper. I felt like a lot of the content was preachy and serious. I wanted to make a mixtape you could bang in the summertime or anytime and just feel good. I spent the next 7 months crafting and finally released the mixtape on October 27, 2005, the same day as my first show in Morgantown.

I expected Thunderstorm would cement my place in the WV hip-hop scene as a new force to be reckoned with. Instead it was met with a lukewarm response, even with DJ Monstalung hosting. I became bitter and rejected and I viewed Thunderstorm as a failure, hence the reason I never got around to making Thunderstorm 2, even though it was on the table several times.

So when I loaded Thunderstorm onto my iPod last week, I didn’t have high expectations. But what I was met with was quite the opposite. Somehow, listening to my 7 year old audio document, I realized 2005 B Hyphen was a better rapper than 2012 Kelen “B Hyphen” Conley.

Let me explain. Technically, I’m a better rapper overall now. Cadence, lyrics, flow, subject matter, and style are all areas I’m much better at. But there’s something about hearing my younger self attack those beats. Maybe it was the hunger and passion I was laying into every syllable. Not to say I’ve lost that fire, but the intensity I had back then was unreal.

The rawness of everything also comes into it as this was the third and last mixtape I produced with a computer headset mic and Sonic Foundry Acid Pro 3.0. The quality was terrible but somehow Monstalung adjusted the bass and treble to make it sound as good as he could.

And speaking of Monstalung, he and I have been friends for as long as this mixtape has been around. He didn’t know me hardly at all when he agreed to host my mixtape for free. He had barely heard me rap. But somehow he took Thunderstorm to a whole new level. His energy throughout the whole tape is phenomenal and without it, Thunderstorm wouldn’t have the same effect it does.

As much as Thunderstorm is about me at one point in my life, it’s also the story of a cocksure motherfucker who truly believed he was the best rapper, period. I don’t think I could talk to my younger self and explain to him all the shit he would go through and that at 29, he still wouldn’t have a record deal. He wouldn’t believe me. I mean, this is the same guy who took Kanye’s “Diamonds” and turned it into a “I don’t give a fuck” anthem. And this is years before the kids started talking about how many fucks they don’t give.

I feel like a lot of my recent music has channeled 2005 B Hyphen, although until I re-listened, I had no idea I was even doing it. I’ve finally gotten back to that place where I feel like I’m the best rapper in the world and if you don’t agree, fuck it. My music’s not for you. But I’ll be damned if you tell me no.

From the time I released volume Three in 2007 to the inception of #28YearsLater in 2011, all I thought I was hearing was no. You can tell it in my music. Once I embraced what my music career had become, I regressed. Not into a bad place though. Just back to a younger version of myself. Thunderstorm helped me see that.

The Thunderstorm Mixtape was never a failure. It was ahead of its time in ways, yet it was very much of the era it was recorded in. Just because it didn’t make me the state darling I wanted to be doesn’t mean it was a waste. It was where I was in life at the time and still reflects where I should always try to be be musically: happy.

Cause if you’re not making music you love and are happy with, what’s the point?