What up! Man, there’s so much to catch up on from the last two shows. First of all, the Minnesota date got canceled, which actually led to us getting separated from DMX because he left the night before and we stayed an extra night in Illinois.
Since were weren’t with Dog for a night, things obviously changed! We ended up in a Best Value Inn, which was definitely the opposite of where we had been staying, but fuck it! It will just make me appreciate the nice hotels even more when we get back to them. For now though, I am sleeping with one eye open!
When we got to the venue the next day in Columbia, MO, the owner was saying something about a private investigator being hired because X had some warrants or some shit. I don’t know. And they heard about the recent show cancellations, so they were basically panicking. It’s funny how those rumors start. At one point, someone said X wasn’t performing because he was in jail. We were like, ‘Ummm, no. He’s right upstairs in his hotel room!’ I guess it builds drama and buzz though, so fuck it!
Check out the video recap below:
Bazaar bought a gas mask bong and is now opening every show wearing it along with a Hendrix cape. Then at the end he brings up people from the crowd to take gas mask hits. People go fuckin’ crazy.
X also added some dramatics to his set when he climbed up on top of the speakers to set off “Ruff Ryders Anthem.” People always go fucking nuts for that song. Even though I have heard it and seen it live mad times now, I still can’t help but get hyped every time it drops!
People have been asking about groupies and it is definitely a fun part of touring. After every show, there is a big group of girls trying to come back to the hotel (unfortunately, most of them are usually pretty beat), but the one thing I really was not prepared for at all is the MALE groupies. Now I know that sounds crazy right off the bat and I’m not talking about gay dudes (they might be…who knows?). I’m talking about the motherfuckers who want to be down so BAD that they will do fucking anything just to latch onto the entourage motherfuckers around. It’s really baffling. I’ve never seen anything like it!
This one dude in Columbia caught us at the soundcheck and started to make small talk with me, Bazaar and the band. He was just trying to be down, you know? So of course we show him mad love, get a drop from him for the videos and I think, ‘Okay, that’s that.’ Naaaah! This dude started literally popping out of alleyways around town and we were like, ‘Damn, homie, where the fuck did you come from?’ He followed us back to the hotel after the show to chill with the girls and shit, smoke and whatnot, but dude just got waaaay too comfortable. At one point he took his shoes off! I had to say something. I was just like, ‘Bro, where ya shoes at?’ The whole room started cracking up but I felt kind of bad because he was real embarrassed, but what the fuck! I think if we hadn’t practically forced him to go home, he would have tried to stay over or some shit!
Eating on the road is really getting to me. I call it the Gas Station Diet. There have been far too many gas station stops where I go in, looking at bags of chips and microwavable crap like, ‘Is this the only chance I’ll have to eat in the next five hours?’ To top it off, everyone on the trip seems to love fast food. Now I love fast food too. Don’t get me wrong. But most of our group meals consist of Burger King and/or Denny’s. I just can’t do it every day! The one good meal we had was when we got to Kansas and X took us all to eat sushi. I don’t know if everyone really enjoyed it that much, but I was really appreciative to get a good meal.
Peep some pics of our days in Columbia and Kansas below:
Speaking of Kansas, another crazy story involving a fan…We are out on the main strip and this dude comes up to me like, ‘Yo, is it true that Bazaar Royale is walking around out here?’ I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s ill that homie knows who Bazaar is and shit.’ When I told him, ‘Yeah, he’s right in that store,’ this dude’s eyes light up like he was a true fan. I’m like, ‘That’s what’s up!’ So he starts talking to Bazaar, singing his song from the Cradle to the Grave Soundtrack and then he asks if he can spit for him. As soon as he started, he was so animated that Bazaar is like, ‘Whoa, whoa, we’re gonna have to go outside,’ and homie starts putting on the performance of his LIFE, waving his arms, bouncing around and cursing up a storm, LOUD AS HELL, saying all kinds of vulgar shit. Keep in mind we are in Lawrence, Kansas, so this didn’t really fly. People were walking by, looking at us like we were sent from hell. And before you know it, this little old lady holding a CROSS comes up to homie, talking about, ‘This is a Roman Catholic town. Stop cursing or I’ll send you back to your mother!’ What the fuck! To top it all off, the dude starts saying some crazy shit back to her in Arabic, like he was cursing her or something. Me and Bazaar are looking at each other like, ‘Damn, we done started a religious war in this fuckin’ town!’ You gotta peep the video for that one!
One last thing before I’m out…What the fuck is up with Isaiah Thomas? Channing Frye and Steve Francis for Zach Randolph?
Now I really hope I’m eating these words once the Playoffs start, but damn, it just doesn’t make any sense to me! Zach + Eddy Curry up front seem as redundant as Francis + Marbury in the backcourt. Now we have two big men who need the ball in the post to be effective and play zero defense.
#1 – There’s only one ball
#2 – Our guards are terrible post-entry passers
#3 – Our guards play horrible perimeter defense, so once someone blows by Jamal Crawford, who is going to rotate on defense? Curry and Randolph might just be the top two worst help defenders in the whole league. Damn, Isaiah, you’re outside yourself here. Seriously.
Whuuudup! Man, traveling is fucking amazing. I’ve always loved it. The spot we played at in Indiana was amazing. There must have been five different clubs all connected by this big music hall. It’s great how when you roll with someone as big as X, even being affiliated makes you eligible for superstar treatment from all these club owners – free food, free drinks…In Indy, we even got a limo! Sure, I’m a producer and have done some pretty big joints, but this is just a whole ‘nother level of treatment that I can’t help but get used to!
Bazaar had his best set of the tour so far in Indiana. He really gave a great performance. It’s interesting seeing the different crowds and how they respond to Bazaar with the live band opening for X on some straight rock and roll shit. I would really like to see X do some shit with the band. I think that would be incredible! Especially if he did the joint I produced, “Right or Wrong” with Bazaar. Who knows, maybe he still will before it’s over!
I need a Best of DMX mixtape or some shit. Hearing him do joints like “Stop Being Greedy” and “Get At Me Dog” is taking me back to ’98 like crazy. Who remembers the Funk Flex 30 minute freestyle with DMX, Canibus and Noreaga way back? Can we get a HipHopGame Throwback? That shit was classic!!!!!
Peep today's video below
Going from Indy to Libertyville was supposed to be a four hour drive, but due to miscommunication, it turned into an eight hour extravaganza! I guess that’s just how touring goes! Some parts can be frustrating, but as soon as we arrived at the hotel right outside of Chicago, my mood went from frustrated to appreciation instantly. This shit was the most beautiful hotel ever! Look at the pics. It looks like something out of a futuristic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie or some shit!
Pics from Libertiville:
I had a real relaxing night and then came over to soundcheck today with Bazaar, which sounded great. The band is really starting to pick up a rhythm and get in sync with each other. It’s only going to get better as we go along.
I went to Denny’s with DMX and everybody. The waitress comes over and says the order has been taken care of. X and Bazaar were trying to find out who took care of it so that they could thank them, but the waitress wouldn’t tell. Imagine that your meal comes free, out of thin air, and you don’t even know who it’s from. The perks, man, the perks!
The show in Libertyville started off crazy. It was like a private party, like something straight out of MTV’s My Sweet 16 show. Bazaar was in rare form tonight, looking like the star of the show. He had this crowd in the palm of his hand. A hot-ass girl even jumped on stage and started dancing.
For Bazaar, the night worked out perfectly when X decided not to show up, because all these kids will all remember him as the one positive thing in their night. They were real disappointed about DMX not showing up, but that also turned into appreciation for Bazaar. People were showing him tons of love. Oh, and I met Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s nephew! He was at the show and was kicking it with me and Bazaar. I’m the biggest Knicks fan ever so Walt is like my hero. It was an honor to kick it with someone with the same last name!
What’s up? I’m catching up on my journals now, checking in from Ohio and Michigan. I know y’all had to be loving the footage of X jumping into the crowd. Let me just let y’all know that it’s only going to get better from here on out!
I’m personally having a blast out here. It’s fucking crazy – the energy, the shows, the people, the hotels! It’s really just the ride of a lifetime.
Ohio was really wild. The people at the Skyebar showed us a lot of love. You can really tell they were excited to have X and the energy they have him was returned tenfold. One thing I’m noticing about X from being up close is his energy – it’s really unlike anything I’ve ever been around. The guy does a 10 song set with no hype man and no water, running all over the stage and drinking Hennessey. Anyone who has ever performed can recognize how non-human that is right away. Then after the show he’ll still be animated and energetic. He’s also really generous to all the fans that come up to him, which you have to respect. I haven’t seen him turn down a single picture request or brush anyone off yet. You can tell he really appreciates the love the people in these cities show him.
I was really fucking exhausted in Ohio though. Shit kind of caught up to me so I didn’t enjoy that one as much as the rest. I hadn’t slept in two days heading into Michigan so once we got there (a 12 hour exhausting drive), I just went right to bed for a few hour power nap.
Check out the video from Ohio below:
Also check out the pics from Ohio:
Traverse City, Michigan is really fucking beautiful. It’s right near Lake Michigan. I need to go back there. The water is beautiful and the atmosphere is real relaxing and tranquil. I wish we stayed an extra day! I love seeing all these new places and staying in these amazing hotels is a blessing that I am appreciating a whole lot. The good life really is good and I plan to keep living it!
The show was pretty fun. I had a good time. I got some amazing pictures of Dog performing and some great footage of him too. I found a spot with $1 beers. That’s right! ONE DOLLAR! I really have to come back to this town.
What up, HipHopGame? Welcome to my journal, live from the Dog Days of Summer Tour featuring DMX and Bazaar Royale. If you ever wondered what it would be like to hit the road with the Dog, this journal will supply you with just about as much of an inside look as you can get! My man Bazaar Royale has started a new movement – Ghetto Metal (http://ghettometal.biz), which features Bazaar Royale, DMX and M1 from dead prez. I’m basically along for the ride and to help give some exposure to this movement and to give you an inside look at what exactly goes down when Ghetto Metal is in motion! You all know me as Elite, producer of “Shootouts” for Jadakiss, the “Why” remix, “Shots Fired” and most recently “Wrong or Right” by DMX and Bazaar Royale off The Year of the Dog album. And of course you know me from my work with QN5 Music (Tonedeff, Pack FM, etc.) Hopefully this will help y’all get to know me a little better as well as give you some Grade A entertainment.
So onto the first stop, Philly. The first two dates got cancelled. I’m not sure why, exactly, but here we are, saying at the Hyatt, which is nice as hell, on the water. Shit is just beautiful. I am soaking in every bit of it, from the scenery and the beautiful lobby to the nice-ass rooms. You won’t hear me complaining, no matter how crazy this shit gets. The entourage is surprisingly small. It’s just me, Bazaar, his road manager Sean and his band and then a few of X’s people, but the Ruff Ryders always have a million lifestyle bikers in every state that usually meet up with us when we get to a spot.
Last night was the first show. Bazaar came out and warmed the crowd up, as usual giving 110% energy. This guy is a star. If you don’t already know, please do yourself a favor and check out http://bazaarsworld.com.
When X came out, about 20 seconds into the set someone in the crowd seemed to be taunting him and eventually threw water. Don’t know what he was thinking, but let’s just say it did not turn out good for homie in the audience. After the altercation, X got the mic back and proclaimed, “RUFF RYDERS!!” I guess some people still don’t know. After that it was a wrap. The place went crazy and X went through a medley of all his greatest hits, ending with “Ayo Kato” while the cops swarmed outside, threatening to implement riot control and mase the crowd. Crazy.
Today we spent the whole day at U-Hall, going through a mess trying to get a hitch for the back of the bus because we had so much luggage. I don’t know why it took all day. We were finally able to leave Philly around 8pm and head out to Ohio. The second show is tomorrow night in Columbus. I have never been on tour before, so I’m really excited as hell to be visiting all these cities and states. I traveled with both the Ruff Ryders and Bazzar before, but only for quick trips like Memorial Day Weekend and whatnot, which was insane, so I can only imagine how much fun this is going to be. I am appreciative as all hell to be along for this ride and to be able to share it with anyone who is interested. Bug thanks to HipHopGame! If y’all have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave ‘em in the comments. I’ll be uploading tons of pictures and video along the way, so stay tuned!
07/28 - 
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