Many developments!

A lot of developments have happened lately. I'm on Eminem's upcoming mixtape, which should be out within a week or so. I will be on the cover of the mixtape (shout out to my photographer Dietrich Graves @DietrichGraves) and another track that I remixed will be on the mixtape as well. A track that me and Yung Miss did back in the day called "Lemme Hold Suhn" will be on another mixtape that is going to drop soon. Some complications with DJ Bankrupt's mixtape has resulted in "Up At The Club" being used instead of "Get Ya Where I Want Ya", so it looks like I'll find another home for that song. Also, an open collab track by me and Tequila from back in the day made it on to a mixtape called "My Better Half" (hosted by Three Words).

The song "Keep On Pushing" has continued to spread around the world. My stream team has almost finished all of the French-speaking world, after which we plan to hit Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Kenya before focusing on the German-speaking world. Lately, we've been interviewed by the media in the USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Mauritius, Senegal, Chad, and several other nations. The songs is receiving airplay in many more nations than that, as well. The song performed so well after first appearing on DJ Insane's mixtape "Hood Games Vol. 4", that it was reissued on Three Words' mixtape "Welcome To Germany". We plan to promote this song around the entire globe. In fact, everything has been going so well that there will be another collaboration between Godhand Black and Three Words on another positive vibe song similar to "Keep On Pushing".

There are also several other projects that I am working on. First is a song called "Runaway" by Turkish musician ASAP that I was supposed to finish years ago but never got around to because the Great Recession stopped me from doing anything but paying down debt for a few years. Next, there's a song called "Demolition Man" that Kriojinix and C Vegus will join me on. I found an old copy of a little-known remix of Adam F and MC Conrad's "F-Jam" that I rapped on way back in the day. I think that I'll touch it back up with my current set of plug-ins and se what happens. There is a song called "Tropic Thunder Kryptonite" that I've written the chorus and lift for, but still need to write the verses. It has an Andre 3000 meets Kid Cudi kind of vibe to it, though the delivery is nothing like either artist.

I'm about to get a radio show on Crescent Hill Radio, a local internet radio station that is going to get a low-power FM station. The show will be called "The Weekly Grind" and will cover news about that local music scene and advice for aspiring musicians. Several of my songs will also be featured in African movies this year, which is great! Also, spring is almost here so I will be hitting the road soon. I plan to put together a show or two in West Virginia in a month or so, as well as a radio appearance or two in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this May. I will also hit South Carolina in June, but I haven't mapped out the details yet. Other than that, I'm working on bringing a major music conference here to Louisville. But there aren't enough details ye for me to say more about it at this time.

I have been systematically weeding out egg followers, spammers, and bot followers from my Twitter account. I typically follow back anybody that follows me because I think that the whole point of social media is to be social and accessible. But I've picked up a lot of followers that are getting banned and suspended lately. This has caused my ReverbNation rank to drop occasionally. But after I'm done weeding them out, my Twitter fanbase will me much more interactive and my timeline will be more usable. I really enjoy connecting with followers on the Twitter platform and its hard to do that when there is so much spam in my timeline that I often dread looking at it.

I will also be performing at Poetry Night at the Wagon Wheel Lounge in Louisville, Kentucky this upcoming Friday at 8pm ($5 admission). There are also about a hundred other developements that I am forgetting right now. I am also to a point of needing either an artist manager or a fan club manager because it is getting difficult to handle all of the business side, fan interactions, and creative side (including engineering and producing my own tracks). Right now I'm doing most everything in-house and its starting to become a headache to manage on my own. But anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you have a great week ahead!

~Godhand Black~
@Godhand502

Image Changes

I know I said that I'd post this last night, but I got wrapped up in following back everybody who has followed me on Soundcloud, which took some time. But anyways, here we are. I want to talk about something that has been generating some controversy and misunderstandings: my image as a recording artist.

Since I've restarted my push towards making it in the record industry, I've had people asking me what's up with the pimped out pictures and songs. Some have gone as far as to believe that I've turned to a life of crime. Whatever.

The truth is actually much more mundane than that. In the fall of 2010, creditors descended upon me as the last buffers I had against the recession were used up. Everything shut down overnight. I stopped in the middle of promoting a mixtape and didn't even log back in to any of my accounts. And that's how it was for 3 years.

Now, summer of 2013 rolls around and I decided to jump back in because the creditors have been paid off. When I started back up, all I had were what was left from the last time I was grinding. Most of the promo material had a pimpish/mackish theme to it despite the fact that the image was dated in 2010 and it was hella dated in 2013. But it was all I had.

Where most people would have been frozen with inaction until new promo material could be created, I charged forward with what I had. I began promoting the same mixtape that I left off with exactly as if I had hit a pause button for the past 3 years, same songs, pics, biographies and all. While it wasn't optimal, it was better than sitting at home doing nothing, waiting for the stars to align perfectly.

So, to answer the questions: No, I am not hanging out with strippers, dancers, adult models, or any other women with ties to the sex trade. That Godhand and what he stood for has been gone for many years. The infamous picture of the girl in a thong was taken over 6 years ago. I never dated or had any relations. It was a professional photo shoot with signed contracts, photocopied IDs, and the whole nine. It wasn't some trap house escorting gig that turned photo shoot when somebody pulled out a camera phone while shouting "Worldstar"!

So the feminist police can stop frothing at the mouth: I didn't coerce or take advantage of anybody to get any photos or voice samples. All women freely and gladly contributed their services in exchange for compensation that exceeded their goals. I didn't trick, con, or mislead anybody.

The songs that I led out with were also the same songs I had lying around. "Nod Ya Head Musick" was already released on a mixtape. My next release will be "Get Ya Where I Want Ya", a remastered version of a song that I used to perform every gig back in 2003, that will drop on a mixtape next month. After that, I will work on getting "Nights Over Egypt" sample-cleared by the summer. I decided on that song not because it's the least offensive song in my repertoire. I'm doing it because Eddie's song comment over of Soundcloud (yes, I read EVERY comment). If somebody really wants a song to be released, I'll usually make an effort to make their wish come true.

So where now? I'm going to continue transitioning into my new image. It won't be pimpish, but it won't be choir boy either. It will take awhile for me to get new publicity photos. If you're looking for me to not offend anybody and to please everybody don't hold your breath (especially if you are not from a demographic that even PURCHASES MUSIC). There are some people out here complaining about my stuff not being G-rated, but the hilarious thing is that these same people probably have not bought an album, single, or movie LEGITIMATELY from whoever made it in YEARS. If all you do is pirate bootleg media at the salon and complain that nobody is catering to your tastes, then cry me a river.

Also, folks shouldn't criticize aspiring recording artists for saying something, then act like the exact same thing is all cool when Jay-Z or Beyoncé or Rick Ross says much of the same thing and they let small children listen to Nicki Minaj. Let's stay consistent.

But the criticism is all a temporary thing. Because we all know what will happen if I make it....All those whose delicate sensibilities were so offended will be standing around holding champagne glasses, laughing, and acting like they were always on board from the jump...despite the lonely path behind me. 

Happy New Year, y'all!

Godhand Black

@Godhand502