1996: The Beginning
What started in a garage and made possible by instrumental tracks and
a $30 tape recorder has become an attention grabbing phenomenon. In
the winter of 1996, BS (back then going by the moniker of ‘Powder’, a
name given to him after the albino movie character for which he
resembled – Pale skin and a bald head) created an 8 track cassette
parodying top 40 hits of the day, and using notorious figures of his
neighborhood as the lyrical content. Instead of Bone Thugs ‘Tha
Crossroads’ it was ‘The Nostrils’. R. Kelly’s ‘I believe I can fly’ was ‘I
believe Randy’s high’ and so on. The formula was simple and to the
point. Make ‘em laugh. And from shock value alone, the mission was
accomplished with ease. 10 months later, he took on a new challenge –
‘Real’ rap music. Having limited experience, but a lot of passion, he knew
this was the next step if anything was going to come from ‘the music
game.’ So he created a marketing plan that was so outrageous, so over-
the-top, it would have to been seen to be believed…
1997: The whitest blackest white guy you know
The goal was simple – Be taken seriously as a rapper, but still stick to
comedy. So one fall day in high school BS stood up in numerous classes
and proclaimed ‘I’m black!’ and that was it. No follow-up statement and
any questions were met with repeated, yet passionate ‘I’m black’
reiterations. A pale faced, Gap/Abercrombie dressed white kid from the
burbs was not only playing his own ‘created’ race card – He was mocking
the established stereotype. It was around this time that a new persona
was born as well, ‘Pimpie B’, which in itself is a joke of a name, but that
was the whole point: Make them shake their heads in disbelief that they
couldn’t stay away, even if they tried. With all the seeds planted, the tree
was ready to grow – And boy did it. His second album, ‘Pimpystyle’
contained the tracks ‘Cool Guys’ (taking from 112’s Cupid, ripping
posers), Bow Down D.C. (The D.C. standing for ‘Dirty Chuck;’ A local kid
who had a bathing problem to say the least) and one of the most
infamous tracks he’s ever created – ‘Mo Black Mo Black’, which lampoons
his belief he’s really a black man, set with the worst hook in the history of
music. It was met with gobs of attention, opinions, and hate mail –
Everything he wanted and more. In the coming months he published
‘Keep Banging’, ‘Tonight’, and ‘Hoodies’ all following the original formula,
yet each evolving in performance, sound and lyrical quality. Through word-
of-mouth and selling mix tapes, BS was able to garner enough attention
to take things to the next level…
1998-1999: Egomania runnin’ wild
Towards the tail end of his high school career, BS was presented an
opportunity that many dream of – Full use of a recording studio, a small
advance in anticipation of a recording contract, and swelled head that
made Donald Trump seem as humble as Jesus. Being only 18, and being
naive to the evils of the entertainment industry, BS set out to write the
next great album. It never happened. Over 100 tracks were written and
produced, and through creative differences, never saw the light of day.
The comedic, wise-cracking style that got him to where he was
disappeared, the fatigue was setting in, and a negative frame of mind
was developing, creating an environment that was impossible to work in.
Since tensions ran high, a split was agreed upon, and BS now found
himself on the outside looking in. Searching for comfort during production
periods, BS occasionally wrote a parody track, and enough was written
that he was able to publish ‘Pu-tang Forever’ which he envisioned being
his final record.
2001-2002: Look who’s back
Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? In this case,
absolutely. Becoming educated in real-world issues, and coming into his
own as a young man, BS had a lot pent up inside of himself. One day it
all exploded and the passion that embodied his early work returned and
‘Somethings Medicine Just Can’t Cure’ was released. Breaking away from
the comedy genre, BS spoke of issues such as parenting, massaging
teenage ego’s for the worse (so they grow up unaccountable for their
actions), and prudish women. This is considered BS’ darkest album to
date, and one that is thought-provoking to say the least. Following up
that record was ‘Full of Smith’, a play on his last name, and a simple,
self-produced record that was more of a test of his own discipline more
than anything. He was told all his does is swear and be offensive, so he
made 95% of the record clean as a new car. It contained some fun, easy
listening rap tracks, but nothing that will go down in history as a classic. It
did accomplish one thing however – The passion and wit returned and
now it can be properly channeled and used responsibly.
2004: Cracka Jack
While producing ‘Full of Smith’ BS was secretly working on his next album,
‘Box of Crackas.’ This album carries a cynical, yet fun tone that really
stands out as a funny, thought provoking piece (one reviewer called it ‘A
Peter Sellers rap album’). If the self-parody in the title isn’t enough, he
mocks himself throughout the record about bad relationships, past
drinking and drug issues, questioning his own mortality, and the self-
absorbed aura he loves to display. However, the poise and confidence he
gained through his past experiences really shine through and BS really
comes off as if he is control of the album from the intro to the closing
statements. Upon its release, he touted it as his ‘matured masterpiece’,
but in essence, it’s album he set out to make 6 years prior – He just
needed the facts to back up the lyrics. He got ‘em, and we all got a
helluva treat.
2008-2010: Looking back, moving forward…
After the success of ‘Box of Crackas’ BS felt as if he had nothing left to
achieve. He silenced everyone and most importantly confirmed what he
always suspected himself: He could do it all on his own. Very prepared to
walk away from the industry that he shared a love/hate relationship with,
one small thing still bothered him – The quality of his past. The quality
of his past recordings that is. So he set out to clean it all up. Through
endless studio sessions all winter, BS remastered his earlier works and
even sat down and penned a new comedy track: ‘Admit That You’re Gay.’
The feedback and praise he received was appreciated, but more
importantly – He felt the passion again. No longer feeling the need to
prove doubters wrong, he can write a track for comedy’s sake. Something
that hasn’t been done in years - And it’s everyone’s treat. 2009 will mark
the first comedic release for BS in 10 years. Are you ready? Because here
we go again…
What started in a garage and made possible by instrumental tracks and
a $30 tape recorder has become an attention grabbing phenomenon. In
the winter of 1996, BS (back then going by the moniker of ‘Powder’, a
name given to him after the albino movie character for which he
resembled – Pale skin and a bald head) created an 8 track cassette
parodying top 40 hits of the day, and using notorious figures of his
neighborhood as the lyrical content. Instead of Bone Thugs ‘Tha
Crossroads’ it was ‘The Nostrils’. R. Kelly’s ‘I believe I can fly’ was ‘I
believe Randy’s high’ and so on. The formula was simple and to the
point. Make ‘em laugh. And from shock value alone, the mission was
accomplished with ease. 10 months later, he took on a new challenge –
‘Real’ rap music. Having limited experience, but a lot of passion, he knew
this was the next step if anything was going to come from ‘the music
game.’ So he created a marketing plan that was so outrageous, so over-
the-top, it would have to been seen to be believed…
1997: The whitest blackest white guy you know
The goal was simple – Be taken seriously as a rapper, but still stick to
comedy. So one fall day in high school BS stood up in numerous classes
and proclaimed ‘I’m black!’ and that was it. No follow-up statement and
any questions were met with repeated, yet passionate ‘I’m black’
reiterations. A pale faced, Gap/Abercrombie dressed white kid from the
burbs was not only playing his own ‘created’ race card – He was mocking
the established stereotype. It was around this time that a new persona
was born as well, ‘Pimpie B’, which in itself is a joke of a name, but that
was the whole point: Make them shake their heads in disbelief that they
couldn’t stay away, even if they tried. With all the seeds planted, the tree
was ready to grow – And boy did it. His second album, ‘Pimpystyle’
contained the tracks ‘Cool Guys’ (taking from 112’s Cupid, ripping
posers), Bow Down D.C. (The D.C. standing for ‘Dirty Chuck;’ A local kid
who had a bathing problem to say the least) and one of the most
infamous tracks he’s ever created – ‘Mo Black Mo Black’, which lampoons
his belief he’s really a black man, set with the worst hook in the history of
music. It was met with gobs of attention, opinions, and hate mail –
Everything he wanted and more. In the coming months he published
‘Keep Banging’, ‘Tonight’, and ‘Hoodies’ all following the original formula,
yet each evolving in performance, sound and lyrical quality. Through word-
of-mouth and selling mix tapes, BS was able to garner enough attention
to take things to the next level…
1998-1999: Egomania runnin’ wild
Towards the tail end of his high school career, BS was presented an
opportunity that many dream of – Full use of a recording studio, a small
advance in anticipation of a recording contract, and swelled head that
made Donald Trump seem as humble as Jesus. Being only 18, and being
naive to the evils of the entertainment industry, BS set out to write the
next great album. It never happened. Over 100 tracks were written and
produced, and through creative differences, never saw the light of day.
The comedic, wise-cracking style that got him to where he was
disappeared, the fatigue was setting in, and a negative frame of mind
was developing, creating an environment that was impossible to work in.
Since tensions ran high, a split was agreed upon, and BS now found
himself on the outside looking in. Searching for comfort during production
periods, BS occasionally wrote a parody track, and enough was written
that he was able to publish ‘Pu-tang Forever’ which he envisioned being
his final record.
2001-2002: Look who’s back
Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? In this case,
absolutely. Becoming educated in real-world issues, and coming into his
own as a young man, BS had a lot pent up inside of himself. One day it
all exploded and the passion that embodied his early work returned and
‘Somethings Medicine Just Can’t Cure’ was released. Breaking away from
the comedy genre, BS spoke of issues such as parenting, massaging
teenage ego’s for the worse (so they grow up unaccountable for their
actions), and prudish women. This is considered BS’ darkest album to
date, and one that is thought-provoking to say the least. Following up
that record was ‘Full of Smith’, a play on his last name, and a simple,
self-produced record that was more of a test of his own discipline more
than anything. He was told all his does is swear and be offensive, so he
made 95% of the record clean as a new car. It contained some fun, easy
listening rap tracks, but nothing that will go down in history as a classic. It
did accomplish one thing however – The passion and wit returned and
now it can be properly channeled and used responsibly.
2004: Cracka Jack
While producing ‘Full of Smith’ BS was secretly working on his next album,
‘Box of Crackas.’ This album carries a cynical, yet fun tone that really
stands out as a funny, thought provoking piece (one reviewer called it ‘A
Peter Sellers rap album’). If the self-parody in the title isn’t enough, he
mocks himself throughout the record about bad relationships, past
drinking and drug issues, questioning his own mortality, and the self-
absorbed aura he loves to display. However, the poise and confidence he
gained through his past experiences really shine through and BS really
comes off as if he is control of the album from the intro to the closing
statements. Upon its release, he touted it as his ‘matured masterpiece’,
but in essence, it’s album he set out to make 6 years prior – He just
needed the facts to back up the lyrics. He got ‘em, and we all got a
helluva treat.
2008-2010: Looking back, moving forward…
After the success of ‘Box of Crackas’ BS felt as if he had nothing left to
achieve. He silenced everyone and most importantly confirmed what he
always suspected himself: He could do it all on his own. Very prepared to
walk away from the industry that he shared a love/hate relationship with,
one small thing still bothered him – The quality of his past. The quality
of his past recordings that is. So he set out to clean it all up. Through
endless studio sessions all winter, BS remastered his earlier works and
even sat down and penned a new comedy track: ‘Admit That You’re Gay.’
The feedback and praise he received was appreciated, but more
importantly – He felt the passion again. No longer feeling the need to
prove doubters wrong, he can write a track for comedy’s sake. Something
that hasn’t been done in years - And it’s everyone’s treat. 2009 will mark
the first comedic release for BS in 10 years. Are you ready? Because here
we go again…
The original alias...
'Pimpystyle' album cover
(Dressed as Powder)
(Dressed as Powder)
BS Flyin high:
'What, Me Worry?'
'What, Me Worry?'
Couldn't stay away...
Carefree and lovin' it...
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