Alcohol Abstinence
Posted on 10. May, 2011 by Koom.
I didn’t go to my college graduation years back. I felt like I didn’t deserve to celebrate. I continued punishing myself for being a f-ck up; messing up as a freshman and sophomore while I drank and enjoyed the liberties of young adulthood. As I approach another graduation, I find reason to celebrate. Today marks my 9th year of not drinking. In those nine years, I have come a long way. My outlook, self-efficacy, and belief in my abilities has forever improved. Quitting drinking is one of the most special achievements of my lifetime.
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Live at L.A. Mental – April 9, 2011
Posted on 29. Mar, 2011 by Koom.
Free your calendars! Koom the Ripper will be co-headlining L.A. Mental, a celebration of hip hop featuring live emcees, deejays, graffiti artists, and break dancers. Do not miss this night of crazy collaborations and dope hip hop culture! The event jumps off at 8:30pm on Saturday, April 9, 2011, at 11135 Weddington Street, North Hollywood, CA 91601. This is an all ages, free event! If you can, a $10 donation is appreciated to help fund Japan’s relief efforts and help these independent artists to do it again.
L.A. Mental facebook page:
Add yourself to the “Attending” list!
Confirmed artists:
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WWS Magazine interviews Koom the Ripper
Posted on 26. Dec, 2010 by Koom.
WWS: Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
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I’m not working for free – A hungry college student’s cognitive shifting
Posted on 03. Oct, 2010 by Koom.
A simple definition of cognitive shifting: Moving from a fixed, often unrealistic, negative thought to a more positive, realistic one (see Aaron Beck).
I spent my last two undergraduate years working at a restaurant, partly because I needed income, but also because I lacked confidence in applying for internships. I presumed that companies only considered high-achieving, extroverted students who believed in their merits. Restaurants, in contrast, offered immediate, compensated work without tenderly dismissing me for my academic underachievement. I earned my checks, treated myself to the occasional milk tea, pizza slices, and clothing essentials, without second guessing my purchases. As graduation loomed, however, I worried that my work experience would not impress the white-collar interviewers I hoped to meet. There was no use, though, in being downtrodden about my decisions; I earned an income the best way I knew how.
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Koom the Ripper logo in the works
Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Koom.
Bless my parents’ hearts for preparing me desi food for the week. It’s 11pm, I’m eating daal, roti, keema, and benghan bhartha, in my A-shirt and gym shorts when my roommate greets me w/a clenched fist and raised brow. He is an esteemed Graffiti artist, b-boy, teacher, and graphic designer. He’s boiling ramen and cracking some eggs into the bubbling broth. We start discussing the importance of logos, and I tell him, “Man I paid some cat on fiverr.com $5 to design a logo for me, but it’s nothing hot, just some…generic shit.” He replies, “Man it’s so important to have a real logo, you know…[chuckle] you get what you pay for.” He attempts to describe a logo, and out of frustration, brings his brush pen, clean paper, and quickly shows me a creative rendition of “Koom the Ripper.” I am impressed, dude’s 20 second sketch in our kitchen displayed some major potential!
We discuss budget, I pressed him for a figure, and after seconds of unbearable silence, he goes, “You’re my roommate man, you’re good people. I won’t overcharge you.” [More silence] I respond, “Come on man, I gotta have a number, how much do you want?” He sighs, contemplates my real predicament with tuition, rent, and responds with figures for the logo, screen, and pressing. I do the math, compare it to the quotes I got from local shops, and respond “I’m in!” My man is on board to design a Koom the Ripper logo, which initially will be pressed on black t-shirts, sizes M-XL. He will show me prototypes in a few weeks. He will also oversee logo sizing, screening, and pressing the layered logo onto 60 shirts. I am excited, this is an investment in my branding, and it’s amazing how opportunities can arise within your own network. Stay tuned for updates, I am stoked!
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Live at Purdue University, Nov. 6, 2010, for Diwali Show hosted by Beta Chi Theta
Posted on 07. Jun, 2010 by Koom.
Thanks to the brothers of Beta Chi Theta National Fraternity, I will be performing at Purdue University for the Diwali show on Saturday evening, November 6, 2010. I encourage you to come, the event will raise awareness for heart disease, the #1 killer of South Asians. Though we cannot fight genetics, we can educate ourselves to combat this disease. It will be a huge event, plenty of performances, and more to come. Thanks for reaching out to me, brothers Bharat and Janam, I am stoked.
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Listen critically to hip hop to expand my knowledge of new tactics
Posted on 11. Apr, 2010 by Koom.
I listen critically to hip hop that makes the radio. Granted, radio records are not necessarily those which DJs think are the best. There are politics involved and big money to be made in this process, but the point is, music on the radio plays in the clubs, which plays on the ipods of listeners, gets shared on the internet, in effect influencing listeners’ tastes through constant play, as well as influencing the next wave of music being made by hungry artists. I therefore take the radio music seriously. I want to know what the influential rappers are rapping about, their vocal tactics, the effects on vocals, the special delivery of lyrics. I am convinced that despite the money or connections, some rappers are hot because influential people believed in them enough to give them a break in pivotal moments of their careers. So, I take their music seriously rather than dismissing it as some “mainstream shit.” I respect musicians, producers, movers and shakers who are big contributors in their industries, man. Studying the tactics of the major league players is like learning from an expert who makes a living doing what they love. And I’m taking loans for $3,900 per class, to learn something, right? When it comes to music, I love it man. I’m going to listen and learn eagerly, b/c I know how much it costs to learn in classes that many of us are not too keen about. I use the focus I develop from being a student, to hone in on the nuances of music I hear. And I don’t have to pay for that.
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Hip Hop Artist Tips: Vocal Recording
Posted on 11. Apr, 2010 by Koom.
I step into the studio w/my lyrics penned and ready to go. Having practiced my delivery to the beat numerous times, I think I’ve got it down; I have an idea of how it’s going to come out. Thing is, it doesn’t go to plan. I get up there, and the pressure to perform it to my highly critical standards causes some anxiety. I take a few deep breaths, fill my space with self-affirming statements, such as “Come on big Koom Digga! unhh! yay yayyyee (like Ice Cube did in the Westside Connection era), beat my chest a few times, shake my head semi-vigorously, and yell “Ready, let’s do this!” to Brad (producer). We go for a stab at it. My laptop screen is in front of me, I’m wearing my glasses so I can see the damn thing from several feet away, where the mic stand is. Into the verses, I realize that the flow would sound much better by adding a filler word here, or omitting a word elsewhere in the verses.
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Inspirations for tracks on American Muscle record
Posted on 11. Apr, 2010 by Koom.
Rock, Funk, And Hip Hop Converge wth Koom the Ripper’s New Album “American Muscle.”
Inspirations for each “American Muscle” track:
“Cheap” is inspired by a female friend who called Koom cheap, inaccurately citing his stinginess with gas. Truth is he was being frugal with his sparse time, choosing not to hang out. Irritated at his character being defamed, Koom considered setting the record straight, opting to celebrate being labeled “Cheap”. After finally signing a lease on reasonably-priced lodging in a good location, Koom brimmed with satisfaction, penning the song. When Brad heard the raw hook, he improvised the entire guitar melody in one take, and a gem was born.
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Doing my best in music and college
Posted on 17. Mar, 2010 by Koom.
Man music is my passion, and though it always takes priority in my mind, in action school always ends up coming first. I want to prove to myself that I can be an A student, and so far I’m nailing it. I look forward to the 9-5 work schedule in a year so I can focus on making/pushing music, but the way things are going, I have to ride this wave of good academic progress and consider a greater challenge once I get this master’s degree. There’s a saying that you “gotta strike while the iron’s hot,” Jay-Z said it in that last song on the Black Album. Same goes for anything. I plan to give music and academics my best, I appreciate all your support and positivity.
