real shit. A good reason not to underestimate or make assumptions about people. This is what happens when someone tries to ‘fag bash’ a gay dude from the hood. lol

“There are no atheists in foxholes” isn’t an argument against atheism, it’s an argument against foxholes. ~James Morrow

The MAD CITY: Warzone EP. Coming 9/17 only at www.MadCity2010.com

I had the opportunity to be interviewed on 88.3 WAIF by Stef Riddley in Cincinnati, OH last night. He asked me some questions about “mad city 2010” and the concepts behind it. We also talked about the Benefit for Keep A Child Alive on Sept. 17 and why I decided to hold the event and to donate proceeds from my album to the organization.

After we talked he played some songs off the album, one of which was “Disconnected” featuring Daddie Rich, Jibri and Antonio De’Angelo. He asked if I had come up with the concept for the song and so I told him I’d written the lyrics to the chorus then let the rap artists do their thing with the verses. The words for the chorus came out of feelings of constant frustration and isolation that exist in modern society - we drive everywhere in vehicles where we’re surrounded by hundreds or thousands of people but shut off from them in our own little cocoon of steel. We sit at computer terminals and interact with a virtual world without having any intimate personal contact with the people we’re doing business or chatting with. The examples go on and on.

Today was a perfect example. I recently sold a book on eBay for the sum of $117.00. I was fairly excited at finding out that the book was worth this much. As soon as the purchase was made I mailed the book to the woman who’d bought it and looked forward to using that money toward my Fundraising event.

However, the next day, and for days after that, my PayPal account kept showing that the balance of the purchase, $117, was pending and I couldn’t access it. I wrote them a (not very friendly) email asking why this was the case and when the funds would be released and received no response.

I patiently waited but after a week and a half had passed I couldn’t wait any longer. Something had to be wrong here. eBay didn’t offer any solutions, other than to tell me to contact PayPal. Well, that’s no easy feat. Everything is automated and computerized. Trying to talk to a live person is like finding a needle in a virtual haystack.

However, I’m fairly good at fooling these automated phone systems by typing in or speaking nonsense words. They either hang up on you or you get customer service. I was lucky today and got customer service. But the lady on the other end who claimed to have an English name spoke with a thick Indian accent and I could barely understand her. We went back and forth for a while-me trying to understand what she was asking for and me trying to explain my situation and ask for my money to be released.

She kept asking me for the shipping number and carrier and I kept telling her that I shipped the book via USPS. She acted like she didn’t know what that was and kept repeating her question like a robot that’s programmed to respond to only the correct response. I began to get frustrated and I asked her politely, “Is your call center based outside the U.S.”? She ignored me and went on. I didn’t give up so easily though. I tried again, “Are you located inside or outside of the United States?”. She replied “Yes.” I said “Yes, what?”. Then I repeated my question again as clearly as I could “Where are you located?” She named a place I’d never heard of? I said “Is that outside of the U.S.?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a call center inside of the U.S. I can call?”

“You would need to hang up and call customer service.”

Okaaayyyy…I thought I was talking to customer service, I thought to myself.

She finally told me that in order to get the matter resolved I would need to contact the buyer and have them leave positive feedback for me on eBay regarding the transaction.

I asked for a manager but was denied the request.

I thanked her for her help and proceeded to go back to eBay.com and look up the contact information for the woman who’d bought the book.

“Ms. M___? I’m sorry to bother you but my name is Brian and I sold you the Michael Jackson book on Ebay?”

“Oh, yes. I remember,” came the friendly voice on the other end of the line.

“Well, I wanted to make sure you received the book and it’s in good shape.”

“Oh yes, I received it very quickly and it’s in great shape. Thank you so much!”

I was happy to hear that. “Well, again I’m sorry to bother you, and I received your payment, but PayPal has placed a hold on the money and said they can’t release the funds to me until you leave me positive feedback on eBay.”

“Oh my Lord, are you kidding me?” She responded in disbelief.

“No. I couldn’t believe it either.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get on eBay right away and leave you positive feedback. You did an excellent job of shipping the book to me so quickly.”

“Thank you ma’am. I really appreciate it and again, I’m sorry to bother you.”

So that was my embarrassing, frustrating experiencing of being “DISCONNECTED” today. We are part of a ‘system’ that’s controlled by computers, which are of course programmed by humans, but these computers can’t respond in ways that factor in individual cases and needs. They can’t make decisions based on trust, personal experience or human nature. They can only spit out ridiculous laws of “If…then…” programming that render personal business transactions a thing of the past. Soon they will be next to obsolete.

Self check-out lines.

Online purchases with credit cards.

Automated and computerized ‘customer service’.

Outsourced customer service call centers to places where English is a second, third or fourth language and accents are so thick that communication is difficult, not to mention the resentment myself and all Americans should feel at suffering a recession and super-high unemployment rate right here at home while U.S. companies send jobs overseas. Way to go PayPal!! Way to go TimeWarner cable! Way to go (90% of corporate America)!

DISCONNECTED. That’s what our society is in every way. We barely know how to interact with each other on a personal basis anymore. We come home to our families at the end of the day and get on the computer to check our email. Internet porn (esp. child porn on the web) has taken obsession with pornography and sex to new, dangerous heights. Video games are transforming into live, interactive games played across a global network, all in a virtual world.

We don’t talk on the phone anymore, let alone in person. We ‘text’. We have video-conferences. How long before our restaurants will have robotic waitresses and waiters? What about robotic stewardesses on airlines? Not long at the pace we’re going.

Technology, like all science, is valuable but it can be relied on too much and over-used. We are at the tipping point. I don’t think we see how close we are to living in a “Matrix” where they control us instead of us controlling them - “Them” being the machines. Are we there already?

Just something to think about.

FREELIFE MEDIA GROUP presents THE MAD CITY 2010 WARZONE RELEASE AND FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT THE “KEEP A CHILD ALIVE” ORGANIZATION. 9/17/10 in Cincinnati, OH

One of Vancouver’s finest MCs blessed my beat for the title track of my Warzone EP. This EP is the first of three in the “MAD CITY 2010” EP Trilogy. The EP will be released on 9/11/2010 at www.madcity2010.com but you can download “Warzone” now for free.

All proceeds support the Keep A Child Alive organization.

Bronx bred MC and poet is currently working on his new project title “One Foot Away…..Miles 2Go” to be released Nov. 15. The first single will drop sometime in September.

Dremur was a featured artist on “Eddy Free’s Mad City 2010” album and will also appear live at the “Mad City Community Fundraiser” to benefit the Keep A Child Alive organization. This event takes place in Cincinnati, OH at Dirty Jack’s on Sept. 17 at 9:30.

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