San Diego, CA (Top40 Charts/ Joe Padre Music) A child in an urban slum turns the tv on to see a young man set ablaze in a demonstration on the streets of a foreign country. Enthralled by the spectacle, the child turns to his mother for some sort of rational explanation. "Turn the channel," she says as the boy stares wide-eyed and bewildered: "Turn-the-channel!" she repeats much more sternly this time as she irons and folds clothes.
This sheltering, the 'pull the wool over their eyes' mentality seems to be common practice today in our beloved nation. Not only by our mothers and fathers but by many others who "protect us from reality" so to speak. At first glance, one might think that the artwork for Joe Padre the Don's new single "Check 123" is quite offensive or even anti-establishment, but for Joe just a reflection of reality. The eagle has long been heralded as a symbol of the United States since the founding fathers and still resonates strongly in contemporary US culture. However, Joe Padre claims that using such a beautiful, symbolically-powerful beast of nature with maimed wings and blood dripping down its cheek is not misplaced or for shock value. Rather, it is an accurate visual description of the perils we face today in our own country and abroad regardless of geographic location and cultural ties.
Joe Padre recalls lessons learned through music as a naive youngster: "Man, I was just a punk kid getting into s*$%. Walkin' the full stretch of the neighborhood, jumpin' fences, hoppin' on trolleys to go visit other hoods just to go write graffiti and such. Getting chased by street thugs in places we had the balls to stroll up on was nothing foreign. It was ridiculous, some of the places I went. Mom-dukes would have killed me if she would have known. Looking back on everything, I feel like the music played a big part in keeping me level-headed. Wherever I went I had my Sony Walkman with me, and I got so much game from the artists I used to bump that when real-life situations presented themselves, I felt like I already knew what to do because I had heard and seen this all before."
Analogburners.com recently interviewed Joe Padre and noted his group B-boy Mafia about the rising hip-hop scene in San Diego and what it means for the future. Joe goes on to speak about how much talent is undiscovered and untapped in his city. Hopefully, his new release will help convince folks of that, or at least turn some ears and eyes in the direction of this fertile hip-hop breeding ground.
Joe P's extensive catalog of collaborations, albums, and mix tapes is mostly attributed to the fact that he is first a producer, second a dj, and third, an artist. Joe Padre the Don's first single as a solo-artist entitled "Check 123" is available now on iTunes and in stores. You can join him on Facebook at facebook.com/joepadrethedon or get updates for upcoming projects on his website, www.joepadremusic.com.
