It's been a slow couple of weeks in the reviews. They should start flowing again soon, but until then, here's a quick hit of some tight singles I'm bumping right now. Some of them are hard to find, especially since certain services which allow people to quickly download and check out tracks are being forced to change drastically because of legal woes. Move quick if you want to check these.

Be Alert - 7L & Esoteric : This track with it's Transformers samples brings back some serious memories.

La vie ti neg - Muzion : Some really tight Franglais hip-hop, this tune will have your head nodding even if, like me, you can't catch most of the French.

Skiver's Guide -Roots Manuva : This rare track, only available on the Motion 5000 12" features Blak Twang, Juice Aleem and Robotic EBU along with Mr. Manuva himself.

Heavy Lighting - Joey Chavez f. Dilated Peoples : Another hard to find track, this time featuring Ev and Rakaa of Dilated Peeps.

Under Mi Sensi - Barrington Levy : Nuff said, right? A classic from 19-how-long.

Stalk of Sensimilla - Mikal/Mykal/Michael Rose : The man has too many spellings of his name, but this track is pure sweetness.

Blunted - Phil Da Agony : As long as we're on a theme, right? Phil Da Agony is one of those artists to keep your eyes out for. Tight beat punctuated by a wicked flute line.

The Best Form/James Worthee - Krondon : Krondon is a talented emcee from the Left Coast with quite a unique voice who works extensively with Chace Infinite and Self Scientific.

B-Boy Real McCoy & Accepted Eclectic - Aceyalone : Ace-1, a former member of the Freestyle Fellowship has been around for ages, and hasn't blown like he should. Hopefully his new album will remedy that. Stay tuned for a review coming soon.

Iron Galaxy - Cannibal Ox : Can Ox, consisting of Vast and Vordul and produced by former Compay Flow frontman El-P looks to be one of the groups at the forefront of the underground in coming years.

Farmhand - Mr. Lif
Avengers - Mr. Lif & Akrobatik : Lif, Akrobatik and their Perceptionist crew bring simple hype and strong lyricism to the table. They also work very well as a team, check Avengers particularly.

Say What, Say What - Lord Have Mercy : This track off the now defunct Thee Ungodly Hour album remains one of my favourite tracks from this gruff voiced MC.

The Vinyl Frontier - Abdominal & DJ Fase : T-dot's own take you on a musical journey through the cosmos.

Cranial Lumps - High & Mighty : An older H&M tune, Eon and Mi are both at the top of their game on this one.

Josie - Smut Peddlers : New from the Eastern Conference fam, Cage and the High and the Mighty form the Smut Peddlers. Check this tune featuring Apani on the hook.

Ghostwriter - Mad Skillz : This is just Mad Skillz getting vex at many people in the industry, many of whom he reputedly ghost writes for. All the names are blanked out, but see how many of the MCs he's talking about you can guess. Also pay attention to the end where he threatens to re-release the tune with all the names in it if people keep pissing him off. I sense a bunch of MCs sweating.

And, for the more adventurous among you, check out Windowlicker by Aphex Twin. It's definitely out there, but if you dig progressive electronica, it's really tight. My favourite Aphex tune happens to be Alberto Balsalm so peep that one too if you like Windowlicker.

This weeks topic: Managing Your Life

Ah….a second installment of Biz By The Book and if you're still reading this column to further your musical career you must be desperate. Which begs the question…If you're desperate why aren't you doing something to promote yourself and your interests? And I know the answer to this one. You've come to me, yet again, seeking some intuition into the elaborate folly we call the music industry. Here's a hint: to achieve success study somebody who is already achieved it. If I was successful would I be writing for TheCyberKrib.com….No, but seriously folks I'm getting to a point here. All us artists, lyricists, songwriters, producers whatever it is we do for no pay or at least not enough earnings to keep a roof over our heads without having at least a part-time job, we blame the business don't we? The business is signing sexy young girls who can't sing. The media covers trite rappers instead of paying attention to the relevant artists right under their noses. Whatever it is that you are doing for your career in the music industry, try to keep this in mind. In the music business there is this recurring theme of the "lost artist;" the talent expecting the record company or producer to direct them into a career. Where do you think this trend of prefabricated bands came from? If somebody else is going to direct your career they're going to expect you to fit into their mold. This is where the artist has to take a stand and get his act together. Build yourself up from the ground up and don't expect anyone to do you any favors. For your reading enjoyment this month I've provided a few sample stories of artists going the wrong way down the road to success.

1) Dead End Johnny is a talented young singer with a knack for writing. Johnny has never recorded his songs because he has no money to burn even a few demo CD's. His five roommates can't stand it when he sings in their small house, but Johnny can't move into a better situation because he only works part-time at the local supermarket. Johnny sends out copies of his songs, recorded on a portable tape recorder on reused tapes he's collected over the year…Johnny expects to brake into the music industry; a business where, at least here in Canada, bad record sales can mean the collapse of an entire company. In Canada A & R people take very little risk in signing new artists, tending to sign cookie cutter copies of already successful acts. No matter how many rags to riches stories you may have heard in your life, the majority of the artists signed to major label have busted their asses to get where they are. I honestly believe that if you work hard towards your goal you will achieve it, regardless of your limitations. Determination is the most important key to success in this business, not looks, not talent, nor smarts. That means that before he can succeed in the record business he has to succeed in his job. Getting a better job will not only improve Johnny's economic situation, it will improve his level of confidence.

2) Sally The Slacker is a great drummer, but whenever she auditions with a band she is late for rehearsals. She doesn't have transportation so she rehearses in rental spaces. Needles to say, her prospective bands are often disappointed when they've spent 40 dollars for a two hour slot only to have the drummer show up an hour late. Sally plays in three different bands that haven't gotten a show in ages. She has fun but would like to make some cash; she's certainly good at drumming, but she's never considered playing music a job. That means showing up on time, giving 100% effort and getting paid for it. Sometimes the best solution to a problem is look at it from a different perspective. Imagine your musical career is your day job. What would you do differently? Would you drink on the job at work? Would you get high before you have meeting with your co-workers? Music is an art and playing music is fun. Understandably, the approach is not going to be identical to a regular job, but you may find the adding some professionalism to your over-all life can make a huge difference.

3) Bob The Busy Beaver: I like this example because most of the people I know are in this category. Bob took a full-time job at a bank office so he could afford to buy the latest mixers and samplers. Even though he considers the bank gig a temporary day job, he works a 10-hour days. He comes up with new ideas for songs and gets together with other people once in a while, but nothing ever sticks. Meanwhile, accustomed to having a little more cash in his pocket, Bob has take out a lease on a new car. Now he works 10 hours daily just to keep up with his luxury items. The new sampler is gathering dust. This is such a common scenario in artists that I'm thoroughly surprised and impressed by my friends who work full time and still manage to keep up their musical career. Of-course working in the music business keeps you closer to people of similar interests but even that does not guarantee that you will not be sucked into the money circle.

Self Improvement, in this day and age, has been pushed in our faces so much that it's become a cliché. A wise man once told me that to get where you want in your career you have to take little steps. Tonight, take a night off of scratching, rhyming, noodling on your guitar and sit down with a big pad of paper, a good pen, and a few highlighters. Draw out a map of where it is you want to get, and note the obstacles that stand in your way. The first step might be as simple as waking up an hour earlier each day, if you don't have enough time in your schedule. It may be a bigger step, like applying for a government loan for an education in music production or even a degree in computers so you can have a better paying job, earning more money per hour may mean having the time to pursue your career. If you think you need some help making that first step drop me a note. Questions and answers will be posted at http://www.kerenimage.com.

Have a nice life. See you next month.

Raf can be contacted at kerenimage@canada.com