Throughout The Poet Azeem's performance of Postera today at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting on West 27th Street in Manhattan, one recurring message was to be true to yourself. And if you're an artist, be 100% true to your art - no matter what - and don't sell out. That message came from an artist who truly practices what he preaches. Azeem has always being about his art first and foremost - dating all the way back two plus decades ago when the NJ born artist began his career in the Bay Area.  Today's Postera performance - the final of a few to play in Manhattan this week - was presented as a "uniquely triumphant story of a modern misfit on an alternative path" in life with Chapter III of the film portion titled "The Misfit King" which is also the name of a song by Azeem with the German based Ancient Astronauts under the collective name Band Of Broken Puppets. Today's performance blended Azeem's semi-autobiographical tale with him both on stage and projected onto the stage's film screen via the "visual narrative" collaborative aid of NYC based filmmaker Zak Cedarholm. As well as tracing his own personal journey, coming of age in the 80's and kickstarting his music career in the 90's, Azeem offered his own firsthand political and social observations as well such as how the American crack academic coincided with the rise of the prison complex.

One the many inspiring moments of today's mixed-media show was when the New Jersey born, longtime hip-hop emcee / spoken word artist encouraged his fellow artists to go all out in their creativity. "If you see an envelope, push it!" stressed The Poet Azeem to all his fellow artists. And following the 45 minute performance piece today at the midtown theater the house lights came up and Azeem and his visuals collaborator Zak Cedarholm opened the floor up to questions and discussion. Cedarholm talked about how he initially met up with Azeem a year and half ago and how the two clicked creatively and hence set about making a special type of film together (see trailer below) that even includes some old Bay Area era footage of Azeem. He noted that their ultimate goal is of making full-length movie of Postera. He and Azeem then noted how they hope to tour with the mixed media piece and have accompanying workshops for others to build from it. Azeem said that he would hope that aspiring artists would see this work and that it might inspire them to follow their creative dreams and goals. Now that's what I call giving back and spreading the love and the art.

1) Jeezy Seen It All: The Autobiography (Def Jam)

2) Wiz Khalifa  Blacc Hollywood [Deluxe Edition] (Atlantic)

3) Dilated Peoples Directors of Photography (Rhymesayers)

4) Madlib Rock Konducta  (Madlib Invazion)

5) Childish Gambino Because The Internet (Glassnote)

Southern rap icon Young Jeezy who is now known as simply Jeezy went straight to the number slot on the latest Amoeba Hollywood hip-hop chart, as well as on the latest Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,  with his brand new twelve track Def Jam release  Seen It All: The Autobiography.  Also released in a Deluxe CD version, that sports three bonus tracks, the album finds the rapper serving up more of his self-described "diarrhea flow." Jay-Z, who joins Jeezy on the lead single track "Seen It All," is among the several guests who collaborate on Seen It All. The others include Rick Ross, Akon, Game, Lil Boosie, and Future. The music video for the album track "Me Ok" appears down below, as does the music video for "KK" featuring Project Pat and Juicy J by weed fan Wiz Khalifa off his new joint  Blacc Hollywood [Deluxe] on Atlantic that is this week's number two chart entry. Along with Madlib's Rock Konducta  and Childish Gambino's Because The Internet, the other chart entry this week is the highly recommended new Dilated Peoples album Directors of Photography which is not just a five-star album (not one bad song on here) but is also nicely packaged with a whole set of polaroid like pictures with info on the back of each. Also below is the just produced video for the current L'orange album track "I Need You (feat. Blu)" Other videos below include the brand new ones from new group Band of Broken Puppets' (Azeem + Ancient Astronauts) fun rocking track "When Bruce Willis Had Hair," and Oakland's now major label duo Los Rakas ("We Dem Rakas (Hola)"). Speaking of Bay Area based artists and new music videos San Francisco rap crew BPos will be shooting their new video for "Party Mardigra" tomorrow, Saturday September 13th at 8pm, at the corner of Ashby and California (one block up from Sacramento) in Berkeley. It is also a potluck BBQ - or rather a "Pos Luck" BBQ so bring some eats to throw on the grill. Also happening in the Bay tomorrow is a tribute concert to late great Cougnut - the much beloved old school local rapper who tragically was killed in a car accident thirteen years ago on his way home from a fishing weekend. The memorial concert party will include performances from Equipto, Michael Marshall, Cellski, Black C, Baldhead Rick, Shag Nasty, and TC. 9pm at Brick & Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco. $10. 18+ More info.

Welcome to a New York State of Mind, the new weekly Amoeblog series in which I will report on music and other things from a New York City perspective via text, photos, and videos. Each week in the New York State of Mind Amoeblog, which will be a kind of NYC music/entertainment-report-meets-budget travel-guide, you'll find info on new music coming out of New York, events unique to the city, artists doing shows here (with a focus on touring Cali artists), plus a sample of the fun events that are always happening in "the city that never sleeps." Actually, this is something I have done intermittently over the past five years for the Amoeblog anyway by blogging about such things as Saul Williams "Chorus" show at Joe's Pub in NYC a few weeks ago, the True School  NYC Summer Park Jam free annual series, the music at Occupy Wall Street a year ago (just before it was shut down), the DMC DJ battles in NYC - both national finals and NY regionals, the John Lennon and New York City Amoeblog report from Strawberry Fields Central Park on the 2009 29th anniversary of his tragic death, and the 2010 NYC Summerstage guide.