-stayin busy..

you ask me how im doin..
you ask me what im doin'..
im stayin busy baby..
busybusy :)

im one man
got two hands
ten fingers
ideas
feelin's
and a whole lotta peoples and well wishers..
you ask me what im doin it for
you ask me who am i doin it for
god and them
thats who

this a song im usin as intro for a project called
Mynstrel Music
did it together with an extremely gifted and soulful cat in haarlem holland
Job dela porte
is his name
goes by artist name Manik

i love his mood and feel
when i heard it
i had to have it..

here is the result of that particular collab
stay tuned for more yo..



soultravellin'

we like birds
flyin' in the orange light of the sun
new horizons we explore
as well as the shores
where we from some come undone
got their personal stories
thru the sadness and the glories
i seen you smile some
seen you cry some
unsure if you lost or broke even
it ain' about winnin' or losin'
but believin'
workin thru the fears
ownin your shame
i feel the damp on my grandmothers tears
they stain
on my cheecks they land
holdin my hands up to the rain
she told me thru my father be meek
hide your pain follow your heart
donever allow it to be tame
tell your own true story
no pain no glory
don't let nobody blind fold you from the truth
callin' em lies
stay holdin fast to gods hemn follow the wise
i asked them
but some things they cant tell you
cant give you the lessons of the dust their tears fell to
or even prevent similar things happenin'
some call it poetry
when i drop to my knees
rappin

-gregg got dreams to remember

RESPECT..getit?!
(for those who dont know he wrote that song too.. you know the Aretha one..)
to Otis Redding..
just like he wrote
dreams to remember
well,
this jus a different song by the same title..
peace yo
hope you enjoy it



i got dreams
dreams to remember
i got
promises
promises to keep
i got
work to do
before december
i gotta
work hard
stay humble and me

moma told me
dont you forget no
dont forget baby who you are
poppa told me
hold you head up high
keep your eyes towards the stars

people told me
hold on strong
pull your rights from wrong

someone told me
it wont be long
till people hear my song

i got dreams
dreams to remember
i got
promises
promises to keep
i got
work to do
before december
i gotta
work hard
stay humble and me

-new song by gregg

jus wrote it
please enjoy it



everywhere you go
people are fighting
one wanna kill the other
not uniting

i dont understand

didnt yo moma raise you
better than that?
didnt someone care for you?
didnt have to do that

no no
no no

even if you dont know yo poppa
you got your holy father
you are so blessed to be alive
why create a bother?

so many good souls
down in the ground
so many good souls
never again around

i dont understan i dont understand

now you grow to be a man
and see the wrongs you did
so many lives wasted
what you gonna tell your kids?

-dub with me..

-chillin' at suife's..

aaight
so my man robin came to town
been lookin forward to that visit cause
thats my peoples
and at the same time time
he an i build a repore datin a while back
from when i met him in amsterdam
on tour with audiopharmacy
in 2006
we got to talkin and really hit it off on some
loving music tip
i told him i had a ep release party at the bitterzoet in amsterdam
with sotu a month after
the AP tour..
we said peace and promised to keep in touch
now little did i know..
that man invited all my peoples out to the spot!
i mean
my moms
best friends
and peoples i aintseen in a long while youknow
so in a big way due to him
that night was a special night for me youknow?!
by the way thanx for that R.




keeping in touch i found out my man was more serious than i thought
about this whole music thing
i found out he was actually going to school to become a music manager
when i found that out
i was like yo
im dealing with this dude
cause
if you know this dude
you know
he's a straight shooter
tells you things the way they are
even if you don't like to hear em
on a personal tip
but especially on a b.i. tip
reliable
and a man of his word





we made plans to set up a tour in holland for the summer of 2010
and been workin on it eversince
so when i found out about him comin thru to ny
i wanted to plug up and amplify
didn have any shows at that particular time
city college goin thru renovations
end of semester dealings..




we met at my other man's suife's spot
and got to talkin' about this an' that
one thing led to another
an' i was like yo
let's do this thing right here
imma show you
the cats that im musin' with is crazy nice yo
whaddup?!
he was like no doubt im down
for my dutch readers..
'zo gezegd, zo gediggie..'
right..
suife said it was cool
i called my peeps
and there we went



i called my rd dawg paul on keys
my bottom n..doug on bass
my velvet vocalchords lex to sing
and yours truly on guits..
we had a good time
and the response was love

had this girl julia
one of the guests' daughters take pictures
so these snaps is compliments of her..
they dope right?!
and robin took some footage
the onliest i have so far
(but im expectin' some more..)



p.s.
you wouldnt believe
the way i wear my socks
is jus like that..
they stirred mad convo though.. :)

neverthemore..

please enjoy some more



p.s. just got this in..
this was the day before the gig
yeah we was there too chillin'
thanx to robin for recordin this piece
he said 5 strings is enough..
5 strings and a voice
why not?!



this next song is a lex peterson original
we workin' out..

-please keep lis'nin' ..

an lis'nin'



an lisnin'..



yeah y'all..

-what i did with my summer..as well..

cool
so together with artem
the engineer to the city college work we did over the summer
i recorded some of my songs

here we go:

work



it ain't easy
survivin' in this world
and that goes for all men women
little boys and girls
nowhere in this life
are streets paved with pearls
you got to work for what for what you want
whether you got green eyes or curls

everyday's a struggle
you got to hustle
to find your way in life
like a diamond in the rubble

if your job is not your passion
are you workin' for what you're askin'
if you're not pushin' it
it's not gonna move
and when it's outta line
it's up to you to put it back in the groove

if your job is not your passion
start workin' for what you're askin'
if you're not pushin' it
its not gonna move
and when it's outta line
it's up to you to put it back in the groove

everyday's a struggle
you got to hustle
to find your way in life
like a diamond in the rubble

sometimes you gotta get dirty
to feel that you're worthy
at times you gotta put up with strife
to get some beans an' rice

work for what you want
work for what you need

never forget



easup
yeah i know
i coulda been a lil closer to the mic.. :)
ah well
please enjoy despite that yo



yeah..
everytime you open your mouth
you're rude
so rude
everytime you speak more lies than truth
you do
you do

the pen is mightier than the sword
i do not know what you messin' with me for
i been told you before
you didn't take no heed
now you comin' back for more
life's a battle between love an war
many people don't know what they livin for
hate got em feelin' insecure
but you just want to be givin them more

easup
now
easup
now
cool out now

all the while pretendin' we friends
i turn around now you stealin' my ends
remember all the little things you said?!
what goes around comes back one day
love could never go astray
despite all the little silly games you play

easup..

-gregg says yes.. gregg.. :)

whats good fam
so from time to time
step by step
i introduce you guys to some of my songs
the next one up
is one i did with my good brother
KeEpYaHjOy
from audiopharmacy
on bass
and his brethren Ras Gilbert on drums
the result (so far )
is this
i dig it
hope you do too.. :)
god bless

-somethin' for you to vibe to..

a lil' while ago i had the pleasure and the privelege to be part of a project with my man, japanese producer kenichiro nishihara
we did two songs in total for his critically aclaimed project 'humming jazz'
the first song is called 'from time to time'
a pretty low-key and in the cut type a song of what it means to me to do my thing away from the hype and for the love of music..



I cant tell you what to do
Jus like these niggaz couldn’t tell me who to be how to my thing
Cats come across confident spittin ignorant
Headz wise usually speak softly
Got no reason to hide behind bravado
That’s why you wont see my face when I hit the lotto
Jus keep it movin full throttle
Bless where I manifest let the wisdom settle
Pedal to the medal to the grotto
Where me and my baby boo batgirl stay
The mission in my rhymes is to find a way
To make the night time a better place to play
People hear me when I say
Soul music is here to stay

Don’t let nobody hold you down
You gotta do your best to turn your frowns
Opinions everybody got one
You gotta keep lookin out for number one

Tomorrows not promised to anyone
In between your worries try to have some fun
From the stress take a time out feel blessed
Let your soul roam give your thoughts a rest
you aint servin nobody with stressin
the issues you got stress manifests them
Most people tend to deal in ego
In reality you know they’d rather be happy
And you may find when you look closely
Those you consider friends envy
Try to hold you down while you try to grow
Keep your dreams close to god he knows
Surround yourself with those who want the best for you
Keep your eyes on the prize stay true
Aint tryina sound like im preachin
But from time to time words like these we all need them

the second song is called 'life is a deck of hearts' in which i was inspired by french rapper mc Solaar's song Caroline.. he describes a scene in the park with children playing.. i do the same or similar, most respectfully..



The middle of the day got me thinkin on past times
A park bench children play your name mentioned
Got my mind drunk like memories that steal time
And still your smile one out of a million
Feelins I used to have at time I still feel em
Eatin me up inside but I know I cant kill em
Never thought I’d live with em so physically
Its like you livin inside the deepest part of me
The sadness of you is all I have so it feels
Double to set you free..
I remember your eyes talk like whispers
and I wished to get withya paint cleare the pictures
I was feelin keep you from leavin
But my angels turned to demons imprisoned by my freedom
And im thinkin of you feelin nothing but pain
Life’s a deck of cards im fucked up in the game

Lifes a check
And when its cashed its all in
Aint no skippin steps gods sees everything
The good the bad the bitter the sweet
Times you in sin
Times you on your knees

I try to listen to old timers when they talk
I was raised that way they paved the ways I walk
Like my moms and pops words of wisdom and advice
Be the light that guides my feet keep me flyin right
I seen some dark nights and I seen some bright mornings
God saved my life thankful to be yawning
But I cant undastand how come we not together
Though I thought I knew it all I guess life knew better
She came between us like birds that flew together
Divided by winds of change that turned never
The night stole my days and its pale sunrays
The midst of which I in vain called your name
Thought of how you and how you became
Lifes a deck of hearts covered in shame

word..

we just wrapped up recording another song
sort of like a remix of the song daydreams
i like to call it 'tokyo dreamin'
imma share it with you soon as it comes out..

-gregg says yes..4 my peoples

its been quite a journey but its still just the beginning
heard you a daddy now and it takes some imagining
no we dont see eachother like we used to
but i make it a point to come thru around your way
moms said she felt it felt a little like a child of hers
like the way your moms took me in and made me all hers
you knew me from my first notes first rhymes
smiles still fill my mind when i think of those summa times
all of us after dark in the park smokin spark
jus runnin round clownin even runnin from narcs
don nothin compare those times live in my heart
those the things that carry me thru when times get hard
i rememeber sharin forthy's and blunds upon the highway
wind blowin thru our hair while hearin' big and pac play

this is for my peoples all over the place who's
love an support has been my saving grace
it may not have always been clear to see but
each one of you mean the world to me

i rememember feelin lost walkin round dolo
so much on my mind not sure if i would live no
everyday i shed tears not sure to live or die
at times felt so much pain couldnt even cry
you supported me with hugs n doe when i was low
you would smile n i thought of you when i did my first show
remember when we bought beers and chilled upon the bridge
special to me was that day on diamond head
so much laughter reward for so much blues
cryin inside when you told me what you went thru
your moms sadness your pops crazy abuse
my childhood wasnt easy but i wouldnt trade shoes
not many people live to see the things you went thru
but god said the sun shines for everyone so you
stay strong and pray, i know you do
gave you so much he expects a lot from you

-gregg says yes.. daydreams

aaight so
i did this ep with my dawgg mr. baris akardere
aka sotu the traveller
or if you want
soul tu the traveller
cause he's that nice
f'real my man got one of the smooves sounds aroun'
an' already an impressive and extensive track record
of songs and collabo's
for having just jumped on the scene
and still being at the tender age of
somewhere in his early twennies..

daydreamin'..



the way we met was thru a mutual acquaintance
(dont worry i spell checked it
im not naturally that nice with the spelling.. :)
one who i was writin with at the time
so we hit it off
him being a producer and musician
youknow
i read him a lil something that i had written youknow
something along with a beat in the back ground
nothin' crazy
and he was like yo i dig it
so thats how it came about to do a song
since the one poem was kinda extensive
baris came up with the idea of sprerading it out into three seperate pieces
like visual artists back in the day sometimes would make like one piece
and divide it in three
thats how it came to be
i loved that idea

we first recorded like a draft take at baris' house in Haarlem
and the went to his man 'Double AA's house AA is slang for hAArlem,
dig?!

so i think we recorded the three songs in one day and we bugged out some at the end of the session
for baris to use later wherever suitable youknow..
it was nice though man
looking out over beautiful Haarlem at night
in the presence of some real kool peoples man
yo its one of my fondest memories yet..
soon after we mixed and mastered the joints and pops did his thing at a different studio in the area
big ups to the double A posse yo..



and youknow we did that for fun
had tasha a dutch singer friend rock on it
had my pops on trumpet add to the cipher
had marc zwazi
ultra nice bass player for dope dutch groups
postmen and trackaddicts feature on it
and thijs v/d klugt on it on guitar
(to this day i still havent met him
my man's dope though..)
yo thijs if you readin this..
whatsup man
good looking on that solo on the track yo
you did the thing man..
thank you
so youknow thats how it came together

pops rocked on the second joint called 'bridges n raps'
a blessing..
the title definately Nasir influenced
sotu called me and was like we need titles for these thre songs
i was like yo jus call it 'jazz thing I, II and III'
he was like yo we cant do that
im like aaight
and thought of these three titles like almost on the spot
some say i sound like the great Nas,
well if i made his money and got his props cool..
but im not Nas
im Gregg
i mean its a great compliment
its also superficial

what IS funny though is the fact that his pops is from the south and is a trumpet player and that they get along and do work together
its a beautiful thing

the picture was takin in maastricht at a show we did there with Audiopharmacy
shout to maastricht nr.1 rap group Flexxfitt



who opened for us that day..

Bridges an' raps..



the third song would be called 'global corner conversation'
basically just talkin bout how i came up and my perspective on two of the worlds i came up in and am still part of



after that we did the live show, the ep release as part of the opening for the label that put the record out, we did two shows which as part of the amsterdam dance event in amsterdam holland
this a pic from the first show
in this pic im good
dont get it twisted though
i was nervous as shit before the show..
like for two days at least :)
it was my first marque-date
god seen me thru though youknow..




the crowd was dope and i have to give my man Robin a shout out for really gettin everyone to come that day
i told him about it a month earlier when i met him on tour with Audiopharmacy
i mean EVERYONE was there
except for maybe my parents in law
and my main man Sibren who was on vacation in Brazil ithink
but i know he was there in spirit

it was nice and it was fun and i think it was the first time me and my pops got together on stage, nice
i remember right before the show
as we were getting introduced
standing under the lights
turning to my pops and saying
your moms is here right?!

youknow how they say when two or more believers are gathered togethered god is there in the midst of them
i believe god was there
and i also believe miss Josephine Green was there
right there from heaven watching over her son and grandson doing their thing together and
hopefully enjoying the showing..

we have since then rocked in Maastricht as part of an Audiopharmacy tour and in N.Y. at the Nyorican poetry cafe
this is a pic taken at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam at the release
yours truly seems to in deep relaxation muzin' on the vibes of both tash and pops..
nice flic..

and this is a review of the daydreams ep from one of holland's
frontline hip hop writers and journalists Saul van Stapele




the piece translated in english.. for you mono-linguals :)


"Forget your worries: close your eyes and sway your hips.

For 21 year old Haarlem-based Dutch producer Sotu the Traveller and his musical compagnons, daydreaming is a serious business. They create their warm, relaxed music not for the everyday rush, but with their heads up in the clouds. Listen how NY rapper Gregg Green unfolds these jazzed up daydreams on the first 3 tracks of this EP with his laidback ’spoken word’ and whispering singing and forget your worries by closing your eyes and slowly swaying your hips. Green’s Afrocentric raps are completed by the soul of Dutch vocaliste Tasha and the relaxed moquette of consonances composed by the producer who forms the centre of this EP.

Sotu the Traveller makes jazzy hiphop in tradition of the Native Tongue-movement from New York that (except for a small textual referance) doesn´t remind of Dutch hiphop for one sec. We travel from skyscrapers with money-hungry recordlabels to dark, smokey jazzclubs where around midnight improvisation sets in. With warm basslines, a drizzling trumpet, a velvet guitarsolo, cracking vinyl and chrystal clear pianotunes, Sotu the Traveller makes loving hiphop-soul music, breathing and full of live, inviting you to snap shut your agenda, close your eyes and wobble along on a jazzy dreamtrip." - Saul van Stapele/ NRC Handelsblad


And the love is felt from Alex van der Hulst writer for a magazine translated is called "Ear" aka "Oor"

-gregg says yes pops on a gregg track yo!!

checkitout yo
this a remix from the song keepyahjoy
audiopharmacy's bass player and i did together
and what my pops did with it on his horn..
lovinit..
yeah thats one word
spelled,

LOVINIT!!.. :)

-feel me

spill forth

imagine me under street lights in the spirit connected to god
i pray before him before givin him my offererin
home is where the love is the drama and peoples i miss
the bullshit i can do without the guilttrips i dissmiss
rather place a kiss on the cheex of forgiveness
still im human and believe in karma, my life is this
many addicted to drama i choose gods body armor
a sinner in this life at times feelin like a beginner
when again we strife our egos fight to be right
in the night i reflect by a candle on my inner light
and shine that light bright onto what im into
sheddin a ray of life onto cold dead winters
i remember the screams the fights the arguin every night
the fear of love similar to stagefright
my inner child is like two children that need to unite
my cries to god in the dark send my prayers like a kite

its impossible to turn back the hands of time
memories live on deep in my heart and mind
i look into your soul as i pray for understanding
a deeper understanding
i know times been ruff barely had enuff
hopin that one day they wouldnt call our bluff
i know for sure that my moma cried tears
left em on my shoulder they still here
the emptiness grows deeper the more i grow older
wishin i could hold her

in my heart its still easy to recall
the echoes of the screams still bounce off the walls
inside my tears hang around like leaves in fall
i got fear pain and anger yet love for all
under dimmed lights i reflect on black holes
that darken the spaces love could have filled with so much soul
and breathe in the summer breeze knowin i still sin
life is yang and ying turnin strangers to lovers to friends
back to strangers again and the sun ain shine since,
sadness and me been close like first cousins
tears that spill forth within once again
slowly become the river my soul now swims in
takin memories back to the beginnin
lovedones words be a lifevest im rememberin,
a moment of realization life is a test
a reminder that struggles come before progress

-gregg says...thank you..

a dedication to some of my idols

-freddy and the family halloween nyc

whats good y'all
hope you had a nice halloween
as i shared with you
we had freddy fuego's album release party gig
in harlem on halloween
at the shrine

comining up:freddy's album cover..
wait for it...
BAM!!



dope right?!
props to fred's cousin..
my man's definately nice widit..
to say the least
love the concept..
this was a side note
back to the story..

and i would say
it was a success
many people showed
and that made our collective efforts all the more worthwhile
i wanna give a shout to fred and the family
proud of you fred..
you made it happen man
glad to have been a part of it
shout to all the beautiful musicians and family down for the cause fo sho'
god bless..

-GREGG GREEN SAYS YO..CHECKOUT HADEWYCH MINIS..

yo check her out
she's dope

http://www.hadewychminis.nl/

this a song we did
please dig..

and please..
tell a friend

RESPEK

-after a long day of work..

yo whats good peoples
just wanna share this with you guys
hope you dig it..

-clueless

it is suggested to read this while listening to the song



new day
stayin positive
thinkin bout my peoples
the ones here
the ones overseas
the ones gone
workin everyday
for a promise
somewhere
someway
somehow

fairweatherfriends
fairweatherenemies
people in passing who said things
with lasting impact
positive
and negative

longing for close bonds
with those who
people you assume you
already have close bonds with

dont wanna cry
cant smile
sometimes
wonder why
no tears leave my eye
like sometimes
no sound comes out
when i try

thankful for those
believing in me
feeling thankful for making others believe
and we
both stand in awe
of the way the sun colors
like a mood ring
from cold and shy
to deep and warm
everpresent
like the fathers we wish where here
like the father gave us love
to comfort our fears

wonder if my friends know how much i love and think about em

jorrit.norma.sibren.


from fleeting presences
to deep connects

a myriad of experiences
blending them into one
speaking
weaving words into a song
and knowing that
regardless
of how many words are ever spoken
they can never fully replace
you and i
here and now

a million times a day
i tell myself
i wont be afraid

but how can i not be
when i have so little to gain
and so much to lose..

just when i thought i had it
i realise
i dont have a clue

my dude responded to the poem on twitter
would like to share it with you:

-daily greens

dilemma time..

wifeys hungry..

now normally youknow that your homey would take care of this situation quick fast right?!

yet as we speak, fall in ny offially has started

its coming down y'all

yet

wifey's still hungry

and, being a compassionate guy yo

i feel them cats that youknow

gotta drive in the rain on they mopeds an cycles

gettin all wet an such

tryina avoid dogg doo-doo(thats for my amsterdam readers)

jus so other peoples can eat

i know you sayin

like yo they gettin paid for it

so im providin em a service

true yo

but still yo