Today (December 8th) my new group album with Chum entitled "Flavor Ade" featuring Slug of Atmosphere, eLZHi of Slum Village, and Has-Lo drops and I'm excited! We have two release parties this weekend. One in Philly on Friday the 11th and one in New London, CT on Saturday the 12th. The flyers are at the end of this. I hope you guys can make it out.
For me it's the time for reinvention, the time for progress...shit, it's the time for some good music!
IT's pretty ironic how Mike and the Fatman became Cool-Aide (and iCON the Mic King became MiC K!NG and Chum the Skrilla Guerilla became Chum). It was the beginning of 2008 and Chum and I had decided we'd make a sequel to "Mike and the Fatman." The plan was to make it really dark but also really polished. Dark cinematic music has been my sound for years so of course I was down to make more of the same however I'd been working on a lot of the Robots with Hearts stuff with musical genius Animals on Wheels and I'd been experimenting with a lot of different things like singing (badly), rapping melodies, etc. I played him some joints particularly "Downward Spiral" (available on iTunes via Tape Records) and I believe that same day Chum gave me the beat for "Kind of a Woman."
I'm pretty sure that very same day we laid the track down. I knew we had our first "hit," I'm not sure what Chum thought but I know realized we about to veer off the path of super dense and dark underground hiphop.
I left that day with a beat cd of about 15 tracks and I'd started to change my writing process. I'd get really excited about the beat and hop in my car and head up to his studio and started thinking of lines on the way, jotting them in my iphone or repeating them over and over until I got up there and then grab my notebook in a frenzy and get it all down. We were trying different things. I'd randomly pull a record off the bookshelf and he'd make a beat...I'd make suggestions he'd make decisions. I finally got the disco record I'd been wanting to make since 2004. It's called "Very Well" and in my opinion it's the best song we have ever made you should see it live, it's incredible!
The Cool-Aide name and idea is something I came up with in 2007 actually. Originally I wanted it to be a group consisting of Chum, myself, and Blue Raspberry but for whatever reason it didn't happen that way and it's just the two of us. The general jist of the MiC K!NG & Chum are Cool-Aide album is keeping cool through adversity. I wrote it in a very confusing time of my life and it seemed like so many people were dealing with so many issues it was our upbeat way of helping you through it. Cool. Aide.
So I bet you're thinking "but the album that dropped today is called 'Flavor Ade?'"
Well what happened was we made too many dope songs. We had stuff that didn't really fit the format of keeping cool through adversity but were still incredible songs. Also, I'm not into making mixtapes. I'm also not big on guest appearances and I wanted to keep the Cool-Aide album free of those but there were definitely some people I respect that I've wanted to reach out to and work with. Those people are Slug, eLZHi, and my good friend Has-Lo. When I got the "Snake Oil" track from Chum I heard Slug on it instantly and he was good enough to find time in his incredibly busy schedule and murder it for me. eLZHi is somebody that people always tell me they wanted to hear me with. I think the guy is very talented so I reached out to him and the result is "Wordperfect." Has-Lo, I can't really say enough about the guy. I've called him "Philadelphia's best kept secret" over and over, not just to have something to say next to his name like Slug has "of Atmosphere" and eLZHi has "of Slum Village" but because he actually is one of the top 5 emcees in Philly right now. I brought him into for "I'm the Best Mayne" and he rode the fine line of satire with me perfectly. People should definitely check for him.
Now you're thinking "what is this an album of leftovers?" Nope. It's not. It's a standalone project in and of itself. It's a fun album. It's an album you can throw on at a party, on a commute to work, on the train. Wherever. It's fun, honest music and I hope you enjoy it.
We sincerely appreciate your support and you can find the album at: FYE, Borders, UGHH, AccessHiphop, HMV, Best Buy, Target, Newbury Comics, iTunes, and basically anywhere else. If you can't find it then hit us up over at www.cool-aide.com We got it for cheap!
Here are the flyers for our release parties. It's a PARTY. There will be performances of course but Cool-Aide performances are much more about the party aspect. Come and meet the love of your life, or at least the night.
Keep it Cool Y'all
peace
-MiC K!NG
p.s. Thank you to the 76ers for bringing back Allen Iverson!
What's good? It's your friendly neighborhood MiC K!NG (aka iCON the Mic King) here with an update on the progress of the new album "Flavor Ade" featuring Slug of Atmosphere, eLZHi of Slum Village and Has-Lo!
As you may already know the album drops December 8th!
Stores have already put up links to pre-order, so if you want to ensure that you get your copy as early as possible feel free to use one of the links below to do so. If you're going to pre-order we'd prefer you cop it from Best Buy because if there is a lot of preorders they will pick up more, put them in more of the stores throughout the country, and they report to Soundscan. However we truthfully don't care where you buy it from because your support is just the same no matter when or where you get the record. If you're going to buy it on December 8th please support the mom & pops because they do the same thing we do and they are a dying breed! It will also of course be available on iTunes.
It's another one of those lazy Sundays. Actually, being lazy on Sunday is still kinda new to me to be honest. Without a 9 to 5 everyday essentially has the same value so really I have no excuse to take a day off hahha!
Anyway I'm here to tell you about my new video "Drifting with the Tide" ft. Awar. It dropped on Thursday and the song is produced by the homey Vanderslice. The video is directed by Matt Hobbs. The enchanting Lilibeth Perez plays the mermaid and Natalia Estevez plays herself but doesn't really "play herself"...what I mean is she plays Awar's girl which she also is in real life hahahhaa. Jonathan Eckels handles both of their makeup. Tony Fazio and a bunch of other heads that who ain't on my facebook friends list helped out as well. Chum was moral support as well hahahaha. Oh and Awar is driving my car - holla! If you haven't seen it yet, you can check for it here:
I was thinking that I could explain this but what's the fun in that? One of the things I love the most about how I write is that different people can get different things from it. It's like I make jigsaw puzzles and deliver them without the box so you have to come up with your own idea of how it's supposed to look ultimately or you can figure out exactly what it was to me when I wrote it. Making a video adds a whole new dimension to it though...makes it more definitive...but even so I feel like the video is still kinda open ended...
I said all of that to say this: We're in a very interactive internet world so instead of explaining it...what I'm gonna do is post the rhyme and you guys can just ask me whatever you want about the verse and video and we can discuss it.
So, let's see what happens!
Choices are: Sink or Swim her way when trying to follow a mermaid
I'm breathing underwater, didn't prep for an earthquake
Observe fate, my ship had wrecked in the first place
Caught in the undertow, attempting to turn the tide
Tide turned to a tsunami, sucked in my sunken ghost
Now cursing my birth date, black holes for star qualities
Converted in flawed alchemy, drowned in "he doesn't know"s
Really?....Fuck it though
Love ahoy and it's first rate right, or was it a "must avoid?"
The tip of the iceberg, stuck from the Crux of Joy
Nosedives from so high, water morphed to concrete
Lovebirds take flight, only to crash soft-ly
Surfs up, Riding the wave despite Moon's mercy pleas
Combing ore from the ocean floor, but produced Mercury
So until she find a way to come up from the mist
Catch me, drifting away, on water under the bridge
Oh yeah, also feel free to leave feedback on the song and video as well...I very much would like to know what you guys think!
Hit me!
peace
-M-i-C to the K-!-N-G
p.s. Feel free to post the video and share it...that's what we made it for hahaha
It's been almost two weeks since I crossed the finish line in Miami and I'm very sick right now but whatever all that means for you for is I have time to finally immortalize my experience in my dramatic and colorful word choices! =]
So where do we start?
Ok so boom...Friday I went to JFK with Mommy B. Mommy B is my actual mother...and yep as always she came out to show support. She travels a lot - not quite as much as me but I learned it from watching her - and she remarked about how she can't tell the difference between airports anymore...JFK has a special place in my heart though so I remember it well....leeean back?
Anyway...y'all gotta forgive me I'm kinda gone off this Tylenol Cold Night time situation so odds are I will fall asleep in the middle of this. Me I don't take medicine unless I feel like I'm dying. Someone asked me why I didn't take medicine today I joked and said I was a scientologist....that shit was funny...This past Spring/Summer when I was out in France for like 2 weeks or whatever I had pneumonia the whole time and for a few more weeks and didn't even take anything until I was in the emergency room with Kwote and the nurse heard me barking and was like "you have pneumonia" hahaha
Aight so boom...Friday...we get there. As soon as we land I'm sending pictures of palm trees and things up north from my iPhone...like hahaaaa it's warm here! We check into our hotel...the fantasterrific Hyatt Regency. Damn it was a nice hotel. I don't know what I expected but that jawn was mad fly. Hahaha.
Here's the view from my window:
We had a quick meeting that evening and then we all hit up the Hard Rock Cafe for some dinner. It was cool kickin it with my team. They're all from Westchester County New York so I only saw them on training days. I'm not all that talkative when I'm running, that shit is mad laborious to me...I'd rather just zone out with my music on...but yeah so it was cool to crack jokes with all of them and such.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I'd checked in to my room and I had a roommate but up until then I hadn't seen him yet!
Finally after dinner I met Nick from Ohio. He has Crohn's and he was a runner...diagnosed with Crohn's in 2007. He actually used to run competitively but had to give it up due to the disease. He and I probably don't look like two people that would hang out together but it'd be an understatement for me to say he was the coolest person I didn't know that I ever roomed with! Shouts to Nick for putting up with me being on the phone and coming in late every night. Much appreciated big homey! You guys will meet Nick in a second...
First off BIG BIG BIG shout out to Mauikai! She looked out for me mad times over the course of the weekend. And while she didn't wake her ass up to come see me run like she said she would...(jokes sis)...she def held me up once the sun set. So shouts to her...I'll tell you more about her in the minute....
But here's a video of us from that night:
We went over to the De La Soul show at the Delano then back over to the Jazid and we got up with the bol Parable. Shouts to him to for getting me a quick little situation during the party.
Gah lee...I'ma supastar!
Nobody really cared but it's all good it was fun. Chopped it up with some heads. Bodied Maui in a quiet game of billiards and just chilled at the spot prolly longer than I should have since I was supposed to wake up at 7am to go run with my team. Then Maui dropped me off and I passed out after my first night in Miami.
The weather was incredible and I was already loving it.
Of course I didn't wake up at 7am to run. That had me kinda worried because truthfully I hadn't run since the day Pack and I raced...I was real worried about my calf tightness coming back in full force...so I wanted to see (before the race) if the warm weather would make a difference.
Now mind you I coulda just went and run somewhere by myself. You think I did that?
Nope!
That day I just went to the Expo to get my running materials. My bib and all that stuff. I was number 13559. My lucky number is 13 so that was good enough for me. haha! Picked up some dope orange shoelaces.
After that I went and copped some new socks...man when I grow up I only want to wear new socks everyday...new sock feeling is the shit! Anyway..new socks...and a new pair of basketball shorts to run in. Everything was matching - they see me shining!
Then I got all my stuff ready so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. We did the pasta party thing. It was tight because when we came in it was a line of people cheering for us and taking pictures. It was like walking down the red carpet! We stuffed our faces with pasta and THEN Mauikai scooped me up and we went to our show.
Shouts to Lex One! They were shooting a video so there was a shortage of time...but let me first say this was the first time I'd seen Maui rock...and just like I told her I'ma tell y'all...I had NOOOOOOOOO idea. She's mad good hahahha. Here's her rocking my favorite song of hers that I've heard...Negative Space:
Yeah she ripped it. Then eventually I got on and I bodied it real quick. She helped me out on "Oh Yeah" It's wild how much better it sounds with somebody that can sing for real hahaha. The night was fun. Lex One had on a 4 finger ring made out of the Legend of Zelda 64 cartridge and a chain that had the Zelda from NES cartridge on the end of it. That boy's wild hahaha.
Ok so I get back to the hotel a lot later than I should have and I had to put together my playlist for my iphone so I could listen to it while I ran. So I did that and fell asleep prolly at about 1am?
Aaaannd just like that I was back up at 4am.
My roommate Nick was up before me. I kept hearing my alarm and normally I would have went back to sleep but almost instantly I realized that the day is finally here! What I set out to do...what I trained extensively for...what I raised money for...has arrived! And I leapt into action hahaha.
I was in my running gear with my long sleeve "I run with iCON" shirt on over it to keep warm (the sun wasn't up yet). I ate my breakfast of champions...a bagel and a banana and some water haha...and then I went up to see my mom in her room to give her my camera and make sure she was awake in time to see root for me!
Headed for the lobby to meet up with my team. They seemed surprised that I was so energetic and happy THAT early in the morning. Sometimes I wonder myself where my bursts of energy come from. Dos-Noun would give me a very technical answer but I say they come from my heart.
So we take team pictures and such and then headed to the starting line. My mind was a swirl of imagination, wonder, emotion, and possibility on the way there so I popped my phone out and sent a kite that needed to be sent and then I got my head back in the game.
The way it works is you get corraled based on what you think you're time is going to be and the number they give you tells you which corral you'll be in. I said it would take me two hours so they put me in corral E.
It seemed like an eternity between when I got there and when the gun went off. Well I would never hear the gun or most of the festivities before the race because I was listening to the voice that would carry me across the finish line in my headphones.
BUT! I forgot to mention I got to the starting line and I prepping my iphone to play and the playlist I spent so much time on the night before WAS NOT THERE!!! You see since the Iphone only holds 16 GB you have to pick which playlists to sync and I made the playlist and forgot to click it under the sync menu. DOH! So I spent like 10 minutes standing there making a new playlist on the spot. And I did. And it was perfect.
So finally the gun goes off and everyone starts moving. Giving their watches the 0:0:0:0 as they crossed the Starting line. And I'm off!
I was overwhelmed by the "WOW! I'm actually doing this!" feeling. Trying to remember all the tips people gave me along the way. Pace yourself. Be patient. Run at your own pace. Stop at every gatorade/water stop. Alternate gatorade and water. Etc etc.
A couple miles in and the sun is up and I'm hot as HELL in my long sleeve t-shirt. It's only a matter of minutes til it gets throw into the guard rail of the bridge...(which is funny because then I see it there later when we go out to celebrate).
Then it's smooth sailing. This is about mile 2 and a half.
Actually it's not smooth sailing at all...
because...
now..
I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How ironic right?
So why didn't you go before the race iCON? I didn't have to! I tried but I didn't have to hahaha.
So here I am running trying to get in my groove and now all I'm thinking about is a bathroom!!!!
Mile marker 3 where's the bathroom? No bathroom. There's gatorade and water though. Ok can't skip that!
Ok I can hold it...
No I can't.
Yes you can!
3 1/4 - Where's the bathroom? Damn man I might have to stop and walk. I came so far.
No no walking!
3.5 - Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
3.75 - Oh it's all good I can run the whole race...
I finally found one and handled that and then jetted back out trying to make up the time.
There were people shouting "TEAM CHALLENGE!" our team mates and various people involved in the CCFA with signs the whole way and that was a great boost for me. I'd give em a good fist pump as I passed by.
Then I found my stride and I just focused on what was in front of me and the music I was listening to. I kinda put my body on automatic and just got lost in thought. Only really snapping out of it when I saw someone I recognized. I kept imagining what awaited me on the other side.
That is until my teammate good ole Brian Studwell showed up. He gave me a couple words of encouragement I snapped out of my trance shouted "YEAH!" slapped him 5 and we would be teammates for the balance of the run. It became a "I won't stop if you don't stop" type thing. We ran side by side counting off the miles and cracking jokes until about Mile 12.
We grabbed gatorade and water. Yo gatorade...when you're running like that...it feels like you're a gun and you are ingesting bullets. That's the best way I can describe it. I felt almost lethal for about a half a mile. It took me about 6 miles before I figured out a way to drink and run effectively but I did it hahaha.
Straight from Mommy B Cam
At mile 11 I saw my mommy! She was waving "Go iCON!" and "EARLY!" signs. It was tight hahaha. All the sudden I found a burst of energy from that and there we were zooming down the street.
Then around Mile 12 I was feeling very fatigued and I realized I had some sort of granola bar or something in my pocket and I'm like word! Energy!
Dumbest thing I could have done. Not only was it mad dry and all that but all the sudden my body wanted to come to a dead stop. I think I needed to grab water/gatorade twice before I truly washed it down.
So Brian went ahead because I lost steam...but I knew I was nearing the end so I kicked it up a notch somehow and got back in it!
Now this is where we have the real problem. As long I've run...I've always sprinted at the end. No matter where I end up...it's always a sprint finish for me hahah.
You're thinking "what's the problem with that?"
Well I wasn't exactly sure where the end was...and there was some deceptive things that make it seem as though the thing right in front of me was the finish line. So I sprinted.
Yeah it wasn't the finish line.
HAHAHAHHAA!
So here I am....I did my sprint...it wasn't the finish...I have absolutely nothing left and probably about a half-mile left.
Remember what I said about energy? Yeah I don't know where it came from...but I got it back and was in full stride again.....
And you know what I did?
I SPRINTED ACROSS THE FINISH LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My time was 2:22:07 Here's the rest of it for people that know anything about competitive running:
.. ..
..
Overall Place
5475 / 9655
Gender Place
3144 / 4415
Division Place
356 / 478
Age Grade
41.7%
10K
1:08:16
Divtotal
478
Sextotal
4415
Pace
10:51
..
Next time (yes there will be a next time) I'm gonna crack 2 -hours.
I got my medal and then I needed food. I found my mom and my team and I chopped it up with a lot of the people there. A lot of the people in the organization know about me and my music due to the publicity that Audible Treats ran for me (once again shouts to them!) so they all came by to chop it up.
After that I kinda just sat and reflected....and I just felt like a new person.
There was something missing though..so...I turned my phone on and boom there it was.
Here's a video of everything up to this point:
I went back to the hotel and just chilled. Me & my roommate laid on the floor with our legs up on our respective beds to keep from getting too sore. It worked marvelously.
Then my mom and I went to some really dope restaurant at the recommendation of Mauikai and it was amazing! So amazing we couldn't finish the food hahaha...but yeah it was fly. I forgot the name...Maui what was it again?
I was obviously mega tired...but it was time to celebrate with the team. So I head down for the dinner and I eat a little bit because I had just ate basically and we're dancing partying...and then Brian and Glenn tell me they got reservations at the Delano...a couple girls from our team roll too and we just have an all around good time. I'm still rockin my medal cuz that's just the type of dude I am hahahah...and please believe I was bent.
I started drinking when my mom and I were at the restaurant...and I didn't stop until the show that night.
But yeah we chillin at the Delano just having a good time. Then I realize it's time to head back to Miami from Miami Beach and right when we are getting in the cab Maui hits me to say she as the hotel waiting for me.
So I'm telling the cab driver be quick!
Finally we get back to the hotel and roll out to the show. Glenn is riding with us. We get there..the drinks keep coming...and boy am I gone. Like how am I still walking toasty.
But even though I'd just run 13.1 miles and was probably on the verge of alcohol poisoning I still rocked it. Where did that energy come from?
Yeah I'm sure of it now...It comes from love.
Almost immediately after my set though I passed out on a couch. It was a very accomplished and satisfied sleep.
Maui dropped me off for the last time and I bid my sister farewell! Thanks so much yo....You were an amazing hostess.
Then I went upstairs and went to sleep.
You see some people go on long pilgrimages. They walk the road to santiago. The appalachian trail. Do the Haaj to Mecca. They come out on the other side and they're not the same as they were when they went into it.
My thing certainly was nowhere near as epic as any of those but nonetheless I'm not the same person that came out of the MIA airport that friday afternoon. Shit I'm not the same person I was at the starting line. It's like when you're running for the train and you're carrying a lot of stuff...you're bound to drop some of it. Or like how when space shuttles come back down to earth from outerspace...they lose all the excess stuff and only the important stuff remains.
With that said. Sometimes when something is late it is really right on time.
There is so much more to come y'all.
I want to thank everyone. There's way too many of you to thank here but I will personally hit each and everyone of you up and thank you soon...I've just been INCREDIBLY busy and then sick lately. But know that I thank all of you from the bottom to the top and all the sides of my heart. Thank you!
I gotta run though. I got so much stuff to do and catch up on!
peace
-iCON i.b. i-fly
p.s. Nick left me a note that really hit the mark. Best of luck to you too homeboy!
excited
Anyway I'm here to tell you about my new video "Drifting with the Tide" ft. Awar. It dropped on Thursday and the song is produced by the homey Vanderslice. The video is directed by Matt Hobbs. The enchanting Lilibeth Perez plays the mermaid and Natalia Estevez plays herself but doesn't really "play herself"...what I mean is she plays Awar's girl which she also is in real life hahahhaa. Jonathan Eckels handles both of their makeup. Tony Fazio and a bunch of other heads that who ain't on my facebook friends list helped out as well. Chum was moral support as well hahahaha. Oh and Awar is driving my car - holla! If you haven't seen it yet, you can check for it here: 
