A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT's BlogSpot

"I Won't Be There"

2011-05-04T04:44:00.020-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

Produced by Watts & Barsh Productions (Curtis Watts & Sam Barsh), this track was written & recorded in 2007 (hence the myspace line in the 2nd verse). The concept I took on this track was me supposedly being heartbroken and writing a "Dear Jane" letter (the male version of a "Dear John" letter for those who remember the TV show "Dear John" and how it began). It was inspired by real life LEXperiences from a couple of past relationships (with 1 or 2 fictional lines added). You'll just have to guess what's real and what's not. Sorta like movies that are "based on a true story". lol

Interesting fact: This track was actually given to a different artist they were working with (by the name of Candy out of NJ) before they decided to hand it over to me. They did so because they weren't satisfied with her concept of the track. From what I was told, her concept went the route of playing the mistress in a relationship to a married man. They delivered the track to her with the hook already on it (just like they did with me), and her verses just weren't what they were looking for and didn't fit their original concept. Funny thing is, I'm not even sure if what I wrote actually fit what Sam was looking for. He said he didn't know I was gunna go that deep with it (content-wise). I don't know why tho, because the hook they wrote for it refers to someone being in a relationship and leaving. Well, @least that's what I got out of it. Overall, it caused Sam to rewrite his verse for the singer (Lex Peterson), who's on the hook, for their version (which I'll LEXplain in a min) because he was LEXpecting something much lighter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Go figure.

Which brings me to my next point... Even my version isn't their final version of the song. When I was invited to get on the track Curt originally asked me to write 1 verse, then said if I want I can write 2. So that's what I did, but in the end they decided to strip one of my verses and give the beat a more uptempo feel. Ultimately, they were looking for a Hip-Hop/R&B duet. Curt told me they had a Fab & Neyo "You Make Me Better" type track in mind. I did get their final version of it, but I didn't like it as much as this one so... Enjoy!

SN: Right as I was about to start writing this entry this song played on my iTunes DJ (which is on random). It's funny for 2 reasons #1) My mind had went blank and I couldn't remember the name of this song until it started playing. lol #2) The same thing happened while writing that last entry (not to long ago), only difference was that song came on in the middle of me writing that entry. Had too add that, cause I thought it ws crazy. lol

"E.N.Y. Anthem"

2011-05-04T00:53:00.032-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "East New York Anthem"

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

The concept of this song is pretty much self-LEXplanatory. I'm doing what 99% of artist luv to do... Rep where I'm from!

It's actually a remake of a track I originally wrote in 2006 called "A Dedication to Brooklyn's East Side". It was originally released on my 2008 project "LEXcellence: The Best of LEXicon!". I decided to rewrite/touch up the track in 2009. The original beat was produced by Mr. CB and the 2009 version was touched up by Gully Time. Then when I decided to put it on the "LEXtraterrestrial" mix-tape (2010), I had to add a few more shoutouts to the end because I realized I forgot so many blocks. So technically, there's actually 3 versions of this track. Hey, #dontjudgeme lol Man, it's impossible to remember all the blocks without writing them down so... I still missed a few, but hey, I rep'd for all of the East in this joint so... #Itiswhatitis. East New Yitty stand up!

SN: I was listening to my iTunes DJ (on random) while I was writing this entry and the original version (from 2006) came on. How ironic. Don't ask, just thought I'd share that with you. lol

Below is the Youtube clip video of the song (2009)... Enjoy!

"I Will" (feat. Ms. Alisha-Marie)

2011-04-17T21:31:00.002-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "I Will" (featuring Ms. Alisha-Marie) Produced by Gully Time

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This song was recorded during a trip/visit to SC in the summer of '07. My nigga Tiger brought and set up his home studio in the hotel I was staying @ in Columbia and we banged out the verses and my portion of the hook. I remember having caught a cold (probably from tiger because he keep sneezing around me.. smh) while out there and trying my best to make sure you couldn't hear it in my vocals. I think I did a pretty good job. I also remember being a lil' upset because I had to do each chorus individually because whateva program/equipment Tiger was working on couldn't copy & paste. Well, I just think Tiger didn't know how to (or didn't want to) do it. Either way the joint came out dope. I left the female vocals open (along with a reference track) with him, because he said he had a couple of singers who he could get to lay those parts for me cause I didn't have a female vocalist @ the time. After I returned home he later sent me 2 versions by 2 different females to pick which one I wanted to use. One of them sounded ok, the other sounded horrible. Her accent or whateva (could've just been her singing voice) was so heavy that it sounded like she was singing "I wear". smh So ultimately, I ended up reconnecting with a old friend (Alisha) from Jersey who I knew had a dope voice. I honestly know she could've done a better job on the track because I've heard her sing live many times and she goes, but for some reason she was shy in the studio so what you hear is what I got. But overall, I'm very satisfied with the track. We've also performed it together a couple of times. Many ppl luv this song, and I can't blame them. It's a timeless and very encouraging track that can help you get through any hard times you may be experiencing so... Enjoy!

Vlog #1

2011-04-15T18:25:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start doing a series of video logs on things I go thru, or have been thru in my life. There are many things that go thru my head in life that I talk to myself or friends/fam about and I just figured I'll address the public with these things. So here's the first of the many to be recorded. lol

Btw, I apologize about the lagging. Idk how to stop it from doing that so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well. lol I also apologize about the rushing of my words in this vid, but this was like my 10th attempt @ tryna make the Youtube limit of 2GB or less (which I barely made with this one). I had LEXplained so much more in the first few vids. They'd came out so much better too (smh). In this particular vid I got most of the key points in, but still I had much more I wanted to say. Oh well, you'll still get the point so... Enjoy

"Became A Monsta" (feat. Paradox) Video & BTS Footage (ft. Frostie & P-dox)

2011-04-13T00:08:00.001-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This video was shot by WasteMan Productions (P-dox, Alex, and Marv) outta London, England during their time in NYC in the winter of 2009. It was shot on about 4 or 5 various days throughout a 3 week period. This vid/song and how they came about are dope for so many reasons. The song and every visual in the black & white scenes in the video is true story. We re-shot real life circumstances of things we have been through in our (P-dox & I) real lives. The actual concept for the song came about when he was telling me about how long he was in Customs after reaching NYC, because of his middle-eastern decent. As he was telling us the story he said, "Ppl fear what they don't know". Which reminded me of one of my fav Nas lines, "Niggas fear what they don't understand, hate what they can't conquer". I told him how I always love that bar and how I always wanted to sample and use it as a hook. Being that we were already planning on doing a few songs while he was out here, he said we should do it. So for the next couple of hrs we both just chilled and reflected on situations we've been through. We both had so many great examples, but obviously we had to narrow it down to our most memorable situation that fit the concept best, and that ultimately shaped the treatment for the video.

My LEXperience was from the mid-90s when I had moved to the Upper East Side for a while. To those who don't know that part of NYC is what many would call a very high-class area (hence the term & Jeffersons theme song "Moving on up to the East Side"). This is the area where ppl such as Madonna, Bill Cosby and many other great entertainers own homes. So as you know this area isn't used to seeing many black residents. So anyway, one night I was headed home to my apartment, and as I reached the door I realized that someone had just entered. So I wasn't gunna wait 'til the door had closed and reopen it. I just caught the door as it was closing and proceeded in. Well, the white lady who noticed me coming in behind her, dropped everything to the floor, jumped against the wall and said, "Take anything you want, just don't hurt me!" LOL (Yes, this actually happened). I looked at her, showed her my keys and said, "The only thing I 'want' is to get to my apartment". Then I proceeded upstairs SMH.

P-dox experience happened not too long ago after I visited his city (London) in June of '05. Right after I returned to the States they had a series of bus/train bombings out there. So, around that time his city was on high alert. Well, he was on the Train one day and a lady wouldn't stop staring @ him, watching his every move. At one point he reaches in his bag to check his phone and she damn near falls out of her seat, because in her mind she just knows he a terrorist and swears he gunna blow up the train (smh).

The vid is self-explainatory as far locations - Brooklyn (Cypress Hills/ENY & Bed-Stuy) & Manhattan (Time Square, Central Park, both The Upper East & West Sides).

SN: Below are a couple of LEXtra BTS shots... Enjoy.

"The LEX-factor (A=MC²)" Video & BTS Footage

2011-04-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This here was the 2nd vid I did (after "Do Dat Thang/Stay In Ya Lane"). The beat was produced by my nigga Gully. The video was directed by Eugene Bivens out of Cincinati, Ohio. He came all the way out to NYC to do a day and a half shoot with me and my niggas. This video was shot in 3 locations. Brooklyn (Brooklyn Bridge scene), Lower East Side (Performance studio/Green Screen scenes), and Harlem (Rooftop and hallway scenes). LEXcluding the scenes with the female, she was filmed in Cincinnati.

This shoot was so funny for so many reasons. The stories behind this video shoot are endless (to many to get into) and hilarious. Everything from us getting kicked out of a restuarant to having to walk out of another restuarant, to finally getting Eugene's team/fam some food and then him dropping it in the puddle of rain on the way back to bring it to them. LOL It was comedy! Mainly because his ppl were torchin' it down in their whip waiting for the food to get back... So you know they had the munchies to the 3rd power. lol Then my nigga Ryteous pplz' Tee-Tee (who was our make-up artist for this shoot as well as my first vid) got sh?tted on by a pigeon. LOL All the while my nigga Watts was walking around lost in the rain, in Downtown Brooklyn tryna remember where he parked. Yet, he was walking around in circles acting like he didn't see us after he walked around the same block like twice. lol I mean you had to be there. It was hilarious. Mind you all this happened Downtown in like a 4hr period, during the 2nd half of the 2nd day of the shoot while we were eating and tryna burn time because it was raining hard that day, but as soon as it stop we got our bridge shot so... It all worked out (as always).

SN: Eugene also has a different edit/version (1st draft) of this video uploaded on Youtube under the name "A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT Music Video".

Below is some BTS footage where you can also get additional info on the song/vid. Enjoy.

"LEXclusive Freestyle"

2011-04-10T02:27:00.004-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "LEXclusive Freestyle"

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

Ok, this joint was written in the beginning of 2010, but wasn't recorded until about the spring/summer of that yr. This track was originally named "No Hoox". It also was started off with a complete different 16 bars in the beginning when I layed down the first half of the track to a different beat (when I first wrote it, before I decided to lay it to this beat). This is the first time I've decided to just go in on a track with not hook for about 3 mins straight. I was trying something different, because even tho everybody and their mother was doing it, pryor to this track my mindset was fixed on not doing such joints. Mainly because when you break down such long freestyles into 16s you could've have about 2 or 3 songs. I used to feel as if I was cheating myself if I did such tracks. Even though such joints have become the norm on the underground scene, I'm not a follower of what everybody does, especially when it comes to my music. I love my individuality & creativity when it comes to my music. But overall, it came out dope. I told myself that was this was the only time I would do this, but believe it or not, I actually have about 3 more of these type of joints on deck now. lol I wrote all of them last month, but haven't layed them down yet, because my studio is down for the moment so... For right now, enjoy!

UPDATE (6/6/11):

This track will be featured on a upcoming DVD (Video/Interview Below)

"I Want Ya Luv"

2011-04-06T22:16:00.002-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "I Want Ya Luv"

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This track is a song off the "LEXtraterrestrial" mixtape. The Hook is sung by my homie J. Midd. I have just recently decided to upload this as a solo joint as it was requested by a supporter from Adelaide, South Australia who wanted to post it on her facebook wall, because after downloading the mixtape she wasn't able to get past this song (she left it on repeat as she went to sleep lol).

The story behind this song is actually quite interesting. I began pen'n the lyrix to this joint in the late 90s (believe it or not). I was down south (Carolina) visiting my Father for a while and he had and old Uptown Records compilation CD (back when Diddy was Puff Daddy lol and was still just an intern/producer, before Bad Boy) and it had the Heavy D "Got Me Waiting" joint on it (which is where I got the interpolation from - the hook). I decided that it was a dope joint to remake so I began writing it. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. I mean there's much more to the story (because the version you're actually hearing is the 2nd version of the song I wrote), but it's a LEXhausting story and I don't feel like typing it all (lol) so... Hope you enjoy.

"Learning How to Live"

2011-03-30T00:55:00.004-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This was a joint I wrote/recorded around fall of last year ('10). It didn't make the cut for my upcoming project so I decided to release it as a solo track (in Jan). This track LEXplains a lot about me and how I approach life. I really wanted to put this joint out because it LEXplains a big part of who I am as a person - very inspirational, and always optimistic. I realize that a lot of ppl who don't know me personally don't realize that about me because most of the music that has introduced me to the world (via BET, NEAs, and so on) was mainly party/uptempo tracks. So instead of holding on to this track like I usually do with many of my songs (a lot of times I release songs months, even years after they've been recorded) I decided to just put it out there. I love this joint for sooooo many reasons, but one of the main reasons I love this track is because it has helped me (and continues to help me) get thru things in my life. #Trutalk Hopefully you'll love it, and hopefully it'll do the same for you.

I'm guessing this is what they're calling Emo-Rap these days (or atleast a form of it)? Idk... lol Anyway, enjoy.

"I'ma Ride" (1 verse)

2011-03-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This track was written & recorded during the fall/winter of last year. One of the few joints that I've actually recorded and put out almost right away. It was sent/given to me by a producer who was making the beat available to any and everybody. Anyone who knows me would tell you I only like recording/writing to LEXclusive beats. I feel like if I'ma gunna hop on a beat that's available to everybody I might as well hop on a much more well-known industry joint. Another thing I don't like doing, but I'll get into that another time. It might actually be soon too (and you'll know why then lol). So, I decided it wasn't gunna make my next project which meant I might be sitting on it for a good min (like I normally do with a lot of my songs), but then I thought to myself if he's giving this beat to any and everybody somebody's gunna lay something down to it and put it out there on the internet before me. So, about 3 weeks after I recorded it, I decided to release 1 verse of it. Just to discourage anyone else who was thinking about tryna come off on this beat. This track is hard too so... Unless they're coming better than what I did on it (which I doubt), they'll only make a fool out of themselves jumping on the beat. lol Yet, even if they did lay it down, it'll already be documented on the internet that I layed it down first. lol So, in a nutshell, that's how I came about releasing this one... Hope you enjoy.

P.S. Shoutout to all my true fans of The Boondocks... The intro fit so perfect, I just had to do it.

"C'mon!" Video & Live Performance

2011-03-23T17:43:00.000-04:00

Directed by Rodger "Gully Time" Lambert.
Song produced by Daniel Benzino.

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

Here's another joint you'll find on the "LEXtraterrestrial" mixtape. This vid was shot out in Jerz by my nigga Gully. I refer to this video as a "Photoshoot style Performance". The reason I do so is because originally this vid was supposed to be more of a stage performance video. I actually was gunna just edit up different performances I had of this song and make a video. But then @ the last minute I decided it'll be better if I added a few white screen shots throughout the video just to mix it up a bit and make it fuller. So, we did the scenes and during the editing process I gave Gully the stage performance footage to mix in with it (along with a stage performance he had already recorded of me like a couple of weeks prior to the video shoot), but he said he had enuff footage to make a dope, full vid so... I just let him do his thing and when I got the final copy of the vid. This is what it was. So I just rocked with it like that. While we was shooting the footage his set up was reminding everybody of a photo shoot so... Ultimately I just decided to call it a "Photoshoot style performance".

Song-wise this is one of my favorite joints that I've recorded. This song was recorded in the beginning of 2009, although I was sittin' on the beat for about half a year before that (smh). I just didn't know how I wanted to come off on it. But when I finally figured it out, I went off! I luv this track - the bars (especially the 2nd & 3rd verses), beat, energy, etc. There's actually a quote in this song that helped me decide the name of the mixtape. "Spittin' outta this world, call me LEXtraterrestrial" - A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT.

SN: That's me screaming "C'mon!" during the chorus (in the background) sounding like a rockstar sample. lol

Below is one of the performances that was originally gunna be used throughout the vid. Enjoy.

BET Performances

2011-03-17T01:06:00.000-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "LEXtraterrestrial" (FREE Download)

2010-02-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

CLICK PIC/HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE MIX-TAPE

CLICK PIC/HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE MIX-TAPE

At the time of this release (a few days before 2010) it was just to make available for the public a series of new music mixed in with previous released familiar songs that many have already known me for. Yet, if you have never heard of me, it's all new to you so be sure to download and enjoy.

"Do Dat Thang/Stay In Ya Lane" (Video) and more...

2009-03-09T14:07:00.000-04:00

A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT "Do Dat Thang/Stay In Ya Lane" (Video)

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS SONG

This was my first actual official video. Where we actually pulled out a pretty decent budget for. It was directed by Lamont "Liquid" Burrell. He has worked with some of your favorite artist such as; Alicia Keys' "Diary" Video, has worked with P. Diddy, Rihanna, Russell Simmons, and many more. I was fresh off of BET when we first started shooting so we wanted it to be right. It was a 2 day shoot. First day (The "Do Dat Thang" portion) was shot @ various locations in Harlem, including the Alhambra Ballroom. Which we heard was only rented out to 2 other Hip-Hop artist Beyonce & Jay-Z, but luckily my pplz Watts' brother had the connect on that. The second location (the majority of the "Stay In Ya Lane" portion) was shot on Randall's Island. All gorilla filming... lol Nevermind permits. #Imjustsaying

Below is a live performance of "Do Dat Thang" on BET's 106 & Park. Enjoy!

"Do Dat Thang" (Live on BET's 106 & Park) by A-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT

A-LEX's 2nd (of 5) performances on BET's 106 & Park's countdown. FREE download of song @ http://lnk.ms/3s6bS