No More Setbacks

(The picture has nothing to do with the post.)

Long ass time, no post huh? Needless to say I've been beyond busy and gone through a few things since my last blog. These past few days I've felt like the only way to get certain things off my chest would be to just go in on a post and vent. I don't see the point in lying on the internet so everything will be truthful. So sit back and enjoy.

I feel like this past year I kinda wasted my time and money on a relationship that I had to cut short. To be completely honest, I'm extremely happy with my life and the way things are going for me and this music shit. Aside from the little drama from the recently ended relationship that will be non existent soon everything is better than it has been in a long time. When you survive a serious life threatening accident that takes you about a year to be fully rehabilitated from you tend to be stronger than the weak. I find it funny how someone can swear up and down they love you more than anything and make so many promises when really they don't give a fuck about anything but themselves. Some people are so worried about fitting in and being cool that will do anything to be trendy and be accepted. Wack ass friends you have nothing in common with, wack ass music, wack everything just to be cool. These people don't fool me though. They are pretty transparent to be quite honest. You can't be yourself and you let your parents make your every move. Someone whom I use to care for a lot became very predictable and grew to be so selfish that I had to let them go. For me this is sorta like a proper goodbye lol.

Were you ashamed of me? I really needed to go to college to keep you? Your parents are hateful, judgmental, over controlling bullies. I will never let my life be led by another human being, let alone someone's parents whom I barely ever liked. Don't be afraid of what your parents or friends think. If something or someone truly makes you happy then you should be with them or do what makes you happy. It's so sad how people let others write their book of life for them. I do plan on going back to school but I'll get to that on my own time. I got so much going on that I can't even go in on right now because I don't want to spoil it. I'm doing what makes me happy. Have fun pretending and being a little robot. Don't expect things to ever be like they were. You had your chance. I hope you suffer and drown in sadness for the way you made things you're a selfish, confused little robot. Goodbye

Sidenote: The might "Growing Wings" is on in production right now. The cover will be done within a few days. I'm pretty excited for that because the guy who designed Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II" album cover is designing my cover. "Growing Wings" features Frank Ramz, TreaZon & the underground legend Copywrite. I got production from Charlie Hilton, Urban Noize, Copywrite and more. I'm not one to toot my own too much but it's gonna be pretty fucking dope. It's growth season biiiiiiitch.

7 Days Later

With tons of setbacks and delays it felt like my first project would never see the light of day. I had to take a seat and watch everyone release good music while all I could do is write music and wait. Waiting can be the cause of some serious issues, like insecurities, anger, and depression. Which I happened to suffer from all 3 but once the waiting was over I got off my ass and finished my EP. I wasn't gonna let that car crash keep me down forever.

Down2Earth was finally released last Monday and 7 days later the verdict is in. The project is a success. I didn't have any major expectations for this project. It was meant to be a little appetizer. It wasn't meant to be a classic or a game changer it was meant to be something to get my name out there to a few people. That's exactly what it did. And I'm successful by my own admission not by what any critic or blog says.

I wanna sincerely thank everyone who posted the EP. A big thank you to my big brother Frank Ramz and my brother Charlie Hilton. I also wanna thank Wordap.net, Fistfulofsound.com and Vick @ REUP Spot. And I wanna thank everybody who actually downloaded and listened to Down2Earth whether you liked it or not. I truly appreciate it. I promise my full length project "Growing Wings" will be better.

For those who haven't downloaded it yet, heres my debut EP Down2Earth
http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2010/08/new-wingspan-down2earth-ep.html

Why Did the Raccoon Cross the Road?

This will probably come off as self-serving and more than a little cheesy.

*First, a bit of exposition.

I am, and have been for the past 3 to 4 years, severely depressed. My greatest strength and my greatest weakness is my memory, the sharpness of my intellect. My once boundless optimism (I am, admittedly, a dreamer and a hopeless romantic) has begun to be replaced by a bitter, jaded, cynicism. My hatred for this place, for this greedy, selfish, mindless society is only outweighed by my all-encompassing self-loathing. All of my greatest successes and failures haunt my waking dreams. The opposite happens in my dreams.

Honestly, I hate to dream. Well, to be fair, it's not the dreaming that I hate. It's the waking up. This is one of the many reasons that Inception was a film I was particularly interested in (and by "interested in," I mean, "marking the fuck out for"). I went to see the midnight showing at a theater not too far from my house, which sits outside city limits in what is the beginning of a vast expanse of farmland. Around an hour before I was to leave, my two beagles decided to run off into the night and explore. Beagles have a habit of doing this, once they find an interesting smell. If it happens during the day, we don't often worry, because they always come back. This is different at night, when Coyotes are on the prowl, Coyotes which would quite easily rip my dogs to shreds. Especially the fat one, the one who was still missing when I left (she came back later that night, while I was at the movie).

In a soon to be explained coincidence, my grandmother (who lives farther in city,) had been having problems with a family of Raccoons stealing her cat's food. My uncle and step-father caught a few, who soon died from the heat the next day. I wondered if I should feel pity for what must have been a terrible death, or if I should just disregard it. Raccoons are particularly mean creatures.

*Exposition over

Anyways, after seeing Inception (one of the most mentally and emotionally involving films I have ever seen in my entire life, and an unmitigated masterpiece,) I drove back home, along some dark, lonely roads (every road is dark and lonely at 3 in the morning). While listening to the final song on Radiohead's "Kid A" (Motion Picture Soundtrack) I saw a family of Raccoons crossing the road directly under a large streetlamp. I slowed down a little to make sure I didn't hit them, and felt a little sorrier for the three that had died the day before. Then I noticed what must have been the Father waiting on the far side of the road in my rear-view mirror. My car had scared it from crossing the road. I drove away.

Less than 10 seconds later, another car passed my going the other way. I off-handedly wondered if that car would hit the raccoon. For some reason this stuck with me, and a couple minutes later I turned around and headed back. When I got back, the raccoon was still sitting where I had left him, peeking around to see if he could cross. He saw my car and darted back. So I stopped, and shut my car off. In the middle of a relatively busy road in the dark. The Raccoon poked his head out and looked at me. Not at my car, but at me. After a few seconds, he worked up the courage to cross. It took him almost a minute (thinking back, I probably almost hit him the first time.) Right as he made it to the other side, I started my car. He freaked out and turned around to escape to the relative safety of the other side.

Instead of running around my car, he ran right up to my passenger's side door, stopped, looked at car, judged it no threat, and finished crossing to the other side. Then he left, without looking back. This is where my choice of music comes into play. As I wondered if he found his family, Thom Yorke's voice rang out with "I think you're crazy," which is something I often wonder. Am I crazy for trying to think every day? For caring more about my thoughts, my memories, my philosophies, than my wealth? Am I the crazy one, or is it everyone else?

Maybe this is what some people call a religious experience. A sign from a higher power communicating that everything will work out. Maybe. It has all the hallmarks (pun intended). I don't know. All I know is that for the first time in years, I felt good about something I had done. Not just satisfied, but good. Like I had done something most other people wouldn't have, and it didn't cause me to question my sanity. That's all religion is, in my opinion. An escape from the confines of the mind. If there's anything Inception taught me, it's that the mind will see what it wants to see. There is no more powerful parasite than an idea.

When I got home, right as I got out of my car, a Coyote howled in the distance. Understandably I hurried inside. Coyotes are particularly mean creatures. After getting inside, I realized that I had left my phone in the car. I decided not to go out and get it. I don't know if I'm ready to face that Coyote yet.

All I know is that for a few minutes on July 16th, 2010, Thom Yorke, Christopher Nolan and Raccoon saved my life.

A single idea from a human mind can build cities.-
Cosmis

Space Nukes

Citizens of the United States! On this, the day of the birth of our nation, we would like you to know that although we were capable of enveloping the Earth in the multicolored shroud of a hydrogen bomb in 1962, we are currently incapable of stopping an oil spill. Which we are responsible for. It has nothing to do with the fact that the oil being spilled is an excuse to hike up the cost of gasoline, money which indirectly finds its way into our pockets (or China's, as we'd like to have you believe).



Also, we have no idea who killed Kennedy and DEFINITELY put a man on the moon.

Salutations, from the government that both invented freedom and destroyed it.

P.S. Disregard this statement. Just watch this creative, original and well-written reality television and listen to this very talented singer who definitely wrote their own music. Your government is in control, don't worry.

You are free. To do what we tell you.


Governments shouldn't be in the business of governing-
Cosmis

Let Shyne Shine

During my absence from typing out my honest opinions and thoughts a lot of stuff has annoyed me, things which inspired this post.

Let's talk about a man whom I have a unbelievable amount of respect for. Let's talk about how a majority of people who go out of their way to say ridiculously negative things about Shyne are the same people who praise Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman. Shyne did real time not no "2 months in daycare then 10 months on house arrest" like all these "real" rappers who did "time" and then bragged about it. After doing damn near 10 years in prison, Shyne gets released and guess what...he sounds different.
What?!?! No way? Is it horrible? No. It's much better than whats considered "hot" by the masses. His lyrics and beat selections are very good. He did his time and now he's making music.

He's matured, what, did you expect him to get out of jail and talk about how he's been trapping or dancing when he was in a cage for the past decade? Shyne is and will remain one of the most respected rappers by a lot of artists in this fucked up industry. So while you're hating on Shyne, that wack ass rapper who's balls are resting on your chin is wishing they had half the respect that Shyne has. What's wrong with maturing? Grow the fuck up society. Anyways I came here to get this off my chest and post Shyne's street single off his upcoming def jam album "Guess Who". The song is dope as fuck in my opinion. So download it and enjoy good music or pretend you heard it and just hate because it's the popular thing to do. You people do know it's ok to have your own opinon right?

Shyne - Roller Song (download)

Also here's his handwritten lyrics of the song.

According to Plan

You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." - Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in The Dark Knight (2008)

There is an established order to the world. Since the beginnings of civilization, there always has been. Be it the Catholic Church, the British Empire or the American Government, there has always been some "higher" authority telling average men and women what they should and should not be. (Since the Western World considers itself superior, I'll deal only with it. Specifically America.)

With the inventions of the steam engine, airplane, automobile and television in the 19th and 20th Centuries, this began to change. Men began to think more for themselves and not their country. Philosophers like Sartre, Bergson, Nietzsche, Marx, Kierkegaard and Heidegger (along with other types of thinkers, such as Oscar Wilde and Voltaire) began to question the very nature of our existence to a point not seen since the Golden Age of the Greek Empire.

While the rise of technology gave birth to existentialism and other forms of free-minded expression, it also signaled the rise of war on a global scale. For the first time in our bloody history, men would have the means to completely obliterate his fellow man from the face of the Earth with the push of the button.



"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."- J. Robert Oppenheimer, lead of the Manhattan Project (creators of the Atomic Bomb.)

The Second World War, along with the so-called "Cold War" that succeeded it, gave rise to a brand new and terrifying method of subjugation: the threat of global war. For posterity's sake, I will focus my lens on these dark times, when the threat of M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) was all it took to keep an entire country under control. After the end of the Cold War, they realized that a more subtle method was in order. The television.



The advent of mass media in the 1950's combined with the Reagan Revolution of the 80's combined to a rise in anti-intellectualism in the United States, a trend that continued through the 90s and into the 2000s, which may have been the dumbest decade in recorded history. This is a country not just of ignorance, but of prideful ignorance.



This culture of ignorance is not accidental. Those in power, be they government or corporate, do not wish for an educated and intelligent populace. They would much rather prefer you quiet, stupid and interested in what they have to sell. You may be thinking me overly-critical, but ask yourself one question. When was the last time you can remember someone in power asking you to think, to analyze? They tell you what to think, what to believe. "Freedom is the right to say that two plus two equals four," Winston Smith said. But what happens when those in power tell you it doesn't? What happens when two plus two equals five? Do you have the ability to fight for it? Will you stick by something no one else will? Will you resist? To me, this is the true meaning of intelligence.



You might say that I am paranoid. You might say that I'm grasping at straws, or that I'm seeing connections where there are none. Maybe I am.

But maybe I'm not.

You are not paying attention.-
Cosmis

Theme Music

Everyone has their own personal theme music. A song that "gets them." It sounds really corny/cliche when you hear it from someone else, but it always seems to ring true for you. "No, really, you don't understand. Nobody else goes through the kind of shit I go through!"

Disillusionment/cynicism aside, here are my theme songs.

Pixies- Where is My Mind?


Thom Yorke- The Eraser



The more you try to erase me (the more, the more), the more that I appear-
Cosmis

Riddle Me This

As none of you may know, I'm a pretty massive Batman fan, it probably being 3rd or 4th on "Topics I can school you in," along with LOST, American Professional Sports and Star Wars. Of all of Batman's Rogues Gallery, The Riddler has always been near the top for me. I really don't know why, he's really not a great villain. Maybe it's because he always drags out the intellectual best of the Dark Knight Detective, but I seriously love the Riddler. Imagine my joy when I heard the rumor that the Riddler would be the main villain in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film.



So, in commemoration of what will soon be an announcement on the Riddler, I've decided to do a run-down of the best candidates to portray the E. Nigma. And, no, Jim Carrey will not be one of them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hugh Laurie: That's right, Dr. Gregory Motherfucking House (official name). He could definitely portray the proper amounts of genius and obsession. He would also be able to use his natural British accent for the role (I think it works for the character). Hell, we also know he can handle a cane.

David Tennant: A fan favorite, I must admit I'm not that familiar with Mr. Tennant, but I know he's a very good Dr. Who. That's more than good enough for me.

Johnny Depp: What's this? An intelligent yet insane character with a eccentric manner of speaking and dressing in a movie? Must be a Depp character then. Not to say I wouldn't welcome him as the Riddler, he's Johnny Depp. I'm just saying that it might be too...obvious of a choice. And if the Riddler is anything, it's unexpected.

Michael Emerson: LOST's Benjamin Linus, Emerson has certainly proven that he can play the cryptic villain. He certainly has the intelligence and the build. I'm not sure that he would ever really get an opportunity, or that he would accept, but it's a thought nonetheless.

Guy Pearce: Well we know he's familiar with Christopher Nolan. Kind of a ho hum choice, but once again, Nolan knows him well. It could be very good if done properly (I didn't think Heath Ledger would be very good at first, either).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Another Nolan-ite (or at least, a future Nolan-ite) who fits the bill physically and intellectually. He's one of the few actors listed that I can readily picture in the Green Tux.

Timothy Olyphant: Probably one of the most underrated actors in all of Hollywood (which is a really outdated phrase considering how many films aren't made in Hollywood), Olyphant has 3 things going for him. Looks, acting ability and how awesome his name would look on the marquee. Bale. Freeman. Caine. Olyphant.

Casey Affleck: After careful consideration, I really think he might be the best choice. Anyone who's ever seen The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford knows that Affleck the Younger can really handle that obsessed/jealous vibe, especially while playing against a character of bigger stature. My only real concern is that his voice might not be Riddler-y enough, but then again, it would definitely be a departure.

Eddie Murphy: No.

It's a mystery. Broken into a jigsaw puzzle. Wrapped in a conundrum. Hidden inside a Chinese box. A riddle.
Cosmis

The Greatest

Balthus23's wonderfully awesome Jordan tribute.



The scary thing about this is that there are eight of these videos, each one as good as the last. And they all use different sets of highlights.


Jordan with the shot over Ehlo...
Cosmis

Brick Wall (setbacks...)

“If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress”
I always told myself that when it comes to my music i'd never prevaricate. With that being said, I've got some bad news. I was talking about this with Frank Ramz a couple weeks ago, we as unsigned artists without a budget or someone with money backing us, are going to face setbacks no matter what. My EP, Down 2 Earth was suppose to drop tomorrow. Unfortunately my engineer's father passed away last week and I won't be able to get the final copies of 3 songs off my EP until this weekend. I have no control over this, I wish I did but until I'm able to get those final copies I won't be able to put Down 2 Earth out. I'm not gonna say a specific date because I don't wanna let anyone down again but hopefully next weekend I'll be able to put it out. I assure you all that it is done and as soon as I get those final copies I will send it out to be posted. My apologies to anybody that was looking forward to hearing it tomorrow. Due to the unfortunate push back, I'm revealing the back artwork to the EP below.

Wingspan - Welcome (again!)

My upcoming EP, Down 2 Earth is dropping Thursday and since all the links to the first single "Welcome" are dead I thought I'd re-upload it. Promo is promo right? For those who'd like a description, below is what one of my producers had to say about the song.

"A few of you know, a few of you don’t – I am executive producing his ‘Growing Wings’ project (scheduled for a 2010 release) and I’m also heavily involved in his EP (‘Down To Earth’) coming out soon.
This is the first song to surface from ‘Down To Earth’ and gives you an impression of Span’s ability as an artist: powerful presence for a youngster, a well-constructed flow and a captivating autobiographical insight. The beat is by Thelonious and it’s HARD." - Charlie Hilton

Wingspan - Welcome (click to download)

Write the Future

Yeah, so I was already pretty excited for the World Cup. Nike just raised my excitement level by about 10,000 factors.



This brilliant new ad, starring Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Cannovaro, Franck Ribery, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard (everyone I could pick out), plus Kobe Bryant/Roger Federer/Homer Simpson), is beyond awesome. This might be the greatest sports advertisement in the history of western civilization.

The only way I could possibly like this more is if it were a 3 minute NBA ad starring all of Nike's NBA stars. Maybe.

Just Roo It-
Cosmis

LetShannonMissDunks.com

Yeah, so Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals wasn't very good. But this was.



Shannon Brown tried his best to replicate Dwight Howard's Superman "Dunk." In a game. While jumping over someone. Actually, this dunk would have been like Dwight's Superman combined with Vince Carter's "Jump Over Frederic Weis" Dunk.

Where was this during the dunk contest Shannon?


I actually thought he was going over the backboard-
Cosmis

Everything in Its Right Place

In honor of LOST's final week. Here's the greatest T.V. promo ever made.



Said the wise man; Life is a chessboard of nights and days.
- Cosmis

I Need A Dollar

LATE PASS
This video is incredible as is the song. I'm sure most people have heard this song on HBO seeing as how it's the theme song to "How To Make It In America" but who cares. If you like good music, you probably enjoy good visuals to go with it right?

New Beginnings

Yeah, so completely disregard what I said about a surprise for George Orwell fans. I might still do that, but it'll take a lot longer than I had first anticipated.

So, in a completely different direction, I'll give a summation of the 2009-2010 Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls finished 41-41, despite trading away Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons, two of their four best players (in my opinion), for absolutely nothing of value. Still, this season wasn't supposed to be important, so a first round loss against the LeBrons (despite really good series' from Rose, Noah and Deng) is alright with me. Most teams' fans would take exception to someone accepting a first-round loss, but this is not most teams. Nor is it most years. This year is 2010. The year of the Wade.



This summer (July 1st, to be exact) LeBron James (who is probably staying), Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitski, Amar'e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and a host of other All-Stars will become free agents. While it's highly unrealistic that they'll ALL opt out of their contracts, it stands to believe that at least 5 of them will. And of all the teams who have enough cap space to sign more than one of these superstars (Bulls, Knicks, Thunder, Clippers, Nets), the Bulls are arguably the only team with a good enough roster and a big enough need. This is especially fortuitous since Dwyane Wade is from Chicago, and could form an All-Chicago Super Backcourt with Derrick Rose.

The Game-400 bars video

So dope..

Rebirth

As many of you can see, Sky Status is back. A new start is what we always want in life, maybe it's after doing something you regret or just simply sick of how you are living right now. But when we do get the chances to start everything all over again, carefully planning out every detail on what should be achieved and what we no longer want to do, does it always turn out the way we want it to be? I guess that all depends on ourselves.

Just a brief introduction... My name is Richard, and from now on you will see me posting here from time to time. You will get to know a bit about me somewhere down the lines, but for now I'll just leave a blank first impression in your minds, so nothing too good or nothing too bad for now right?

R

Sabbatical

I'm back. Again. Maybe for good. Maybe not. Who can know such things? In all honesty, I've been spending more time on my homework/basketball watching. In a few days, though, I might have something special for any of you George Orwell fans out there.


"Freedom is the right to say that 2 + 2 = 4"- Winston Smith (1984)
Cosmis

R.A. the Rugged Man – Uncommon Valor (Video)

This song originally dropped 4 years ago on the Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell album by Jedi Mind Tricks but now we finally get some visuals. For R.A. The Rugged Man's verse that is. And if you didn't know, R.A.'s verse was given the Quotable of the Month in The Source. The verse is brilliant and a true story about his father. I still can't get over how dope the video is.

Oh yeah guess who's back? Sky Status & Wingspan bitch!