Shutting down Hustle & Grow welcome kahlillechelt.com

Hi everybody. I've been trying to post on this blog on a regular basis. Unfortunately it didn't work out. I am working a nine to five and I am working on several other projects in my free time, I don't find the 2-4 hours a week to put good long blog posts together right now. So I am shutting down Hustle & Grow from this day on.
I have been doing a lot of microblogging on twitter, i tweet links I find interesting on a regular basis and a little commentary here and there. Many tweets come from my friendfeed account where I integrate other social network accounts. Every link I save and every video I favourite gets posted to friendfeed and from there to twitter.

Recently I discovered Tumblr. Tumblr to me is something in between twitter and a blog. That is perfect for me, because there I can share the cool links I find and comment on them and that gets sent to twitter directly. At the same time I can leave longer blog posts if I like and I can link my own url to it: http://kahlillechelt.com

Go ahead and check it out that's where I am going to hang out now.

Big up everybody who checked out my blog! Connect with me on Tumblr, friendfeed, twitter, facebook, Delicious, YouTube, Google Reader, Xing and LinkedIn.

Big ups,
Kahlil

Update: I switched from tumblr to posterous here is why.

Gary Vaynerchuk says: "Listen to yourself!"

Everytime I watch those videos I feel hyped! And when I really listen to myself, I have to post this video from www.garyvaynerchuk.com.

The History Of The Internet

Just found this beautiful video about how the Internet was created on www.zu-cool.de.


History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

European startups: We're not lazy, we're just thinkers.

Recently there was a discussion about the startup culture in the US versus Europe between Mike Arrington (founder of TechCrunch, one of the most important blogs in the world) and Loic Le Meur (founder of the start up Seesmic a video conversation platform and organizer and host of LeWeb in Paris).

Loic Le Meur

According to Mike the US is more advanced because they have longer work hours while Europeans have too much leisure time, much of which is spent developing relationships. To quote Mike “The Europeans Are Out To Lunch”, literally.

Michael Arrington

On the other hand Loic Le Meur believes that spending time on relationships and getting to know your colleagues is not a detriment but an asset and is good for business. Needless to say, Le Meur is a huge advocate for “2 hour lunches”.

As a European and web developer, the dialogue between Arrington and Le Meur was of great interest to me. Unfortunately the discussion ended before it really began. As far as I know it wasn't continued or picked up anywhere else on the web. If anyone out there shares my interest in this subject and/or witnessed the dialogue please feel free to post your thoughts here.

I have a couple of thoughts on why the US is more advanced than Europe in terms of the startup culture.

The first thing that came to me was the following question:

Is it fair and does it make sense to compare the US (one country) to Europe (an entire landmass comprised of 45 different countries)?

Not only is the US one country but there is also one national language and one federal government that regulates trade etc. Europe, on the other hand, has 45 different countries with over 200 different languages, different cultures, and different governments.

In my opinion it is not only unfair but unreasonable to compare one country to an entire continent comprised of over 45 different countries. If we are to make an accurate comparison, one should compare the US with other countries in Europe, not an entire continent.

Yes, the US is more advanced in the web startup arena, and rightfully so.

Based on geography, language, the size of the population, and capital, it is clear that the US has a huge advantage which puts them at the forefront of the web industry.

However; much like the US, individual countries in Europe have also achieved a great level of success on the web and are working hard to develop applications for the global user.

During the Renaissance Europe was the center of intellectual development, artistry and industry because the movement originated and thrived there. The invention and development of the Internet occurred in the US, making them a leader on the web. Just like the Renaissance had it's origins in Italy and spread throughout Europe, the Internet has it's origins in the US and has spread throughout the world. Europe is not behind in the web industry because we're lazy or “out to lunch”, we're behind because we didn't invent the shit. But give us some time and we'll catch up. We're not lazy we're just thinkers.

What do you think?

Hustle, Hustle in Vienna

Thanks! To everybody who read my first blog entry and a double big up to those that commented. Let me start by clearing up a huge misconception. I am not actually dead. R.I.P. Ill Inspecta marks the end of my career as the artiste known as Ill Inspecta. Kahlil is live and well. My graphics guy is currently working on some images to better convey this message on my MySpace page. Soon come. Make sure to keep checking www.myspace.com/illinspecta for the new and improved LIVING memorial page!

Last week Lexie Lee and I went to Vienna on business. Since firing her previous booking agent back in May of this year she has teamed up with GLP. GLP is responsible for booking major artistes like Sean Paul, Akon and 50 Cent in Europe. As the new addition to the GLP roster, we were invited to Vienna to meet the owner and CEO and to perform at his birthday party. We arrived friday night at approximately 10 pm, stopped at our favourite italian restaurant for a bite to eat, and by midnight we were at the party. We had a great time networking and soaking up the vibes.

No time to rest, on saturday morning it was back to business as usual. We met with the Luke R.I.C.H. production team comprised of Adam and Flo.

Lexie went in the recording booth right away and by the end of the day we laid the foundation for three hot new tracks.

I alway enjoy hanging out with Adam and Flo in the Highhat Studio. They are both very dedicated and positive people. After a busy day of work, it was time for play. My wife (Lexie) and I are both avid poker fans so prior to our arrival Flo organized a nice round of Texas Hold'em.

After a long night of studio work and Poker we got a couple hours of sleep before our next meeting. On Sunday we travelled from Vienna's 7^th to 18^th district to meet with producer Stereotyp and AL HACA. Stereotyp is world reknown for his electronic productions and has worked with several artistes from Capadonna to Rye Rye. Over a couple cups of green tea, and a little bit of smoke, we had an intense listening session. Stereotyp and Lexie have wanted to work together for a while and they plan on doing some work on Lexie's next album, which is already being recorded, and Stereotyp's next release. Keep your eyes and ears open for what's bound to be a krazy madd collaboration.

With all the business now out of the way, it was time for some more Sushi.

That was Stereotyp's plate. Lexie and I had to pack our food to go because the waitress accidentally dropped one of the plates and we were pressed for time.

The hustle never dies! Once the weekend hustle was over it's back to the 9 to 5.

Monday morning started of a little shaky. With only 5 hours of sleep and grinding the whole weekend, I had a rough day at work. Back at FARO, we have several landing pages that have to be completed by the end of this week. My colleague is currently on vacation so a large portion of the workload is on my shoulders. But it's all about the hustle and like Charly Black said 'If me no rich this year, next year nah pass me.' So it's hustle, hustle and grow. I'm fit for the task.

Lexie's debut album 'Di Preparation' is out now!

You can download it on iTunes and several other digital retailers.

'Di Preparation' is an eclectic mix of Dancehall, Hip Hop and Electronica. The album contains some of your favourite Lexie Lee tracks like 'Pull it Up' and 'Bye Bye Bye' as well as some new banging tracks like 'Gal Like Me' and 'Slow Down'. The album is well produced. Lexie delivers one great track after another. I loved her music before we met and I'm very proud of her for executive producing such a great album on her own. As always Lexie and J-Hits are a perfect Hip Hop musical marriage. Kevin 'Spyda' Brown's productions add an island touch with straight dancehall flavour for the reggae massive. Sam C and Paleface round out the album with some electronic heavy hitters like Lexie's BBC radio top 10 hit 'Warlord's Daughtah'. The album is filled with something for all of Lexie's fans. Check it out!

GLP is currently organizing a tour to promote Lexie's debut album 'Di Preparation'. To book Lexie please contact booking[at]lexielee.com.

You can hit Lexie up on her MySpace or on her website. Sign her guestbook and let her know Kahlil sent you!

That's whats up folks! Did you get your hustle on last weekend too? I want to hear from you so please give me your feedback and leave me a comment. Link me up on Myspace, Twitter and Facebook.

Hustle & Grow,

Kahlil

PS: Lexie says Hi from Vienna

R.I.P. Ill Inspecta

Hi my name is Kahlil. For the past 10 years I was also known as the reggae artiste Ill Inspecta. For the last 4 years I was associated with a fairly known reggae label in Germany. Earlier this year I made the decision 08, the decision to let Illi die.

I chose to release my last album, and tour in support of the album until october. The time has come for me to lay down the Illimask.

Why did I end it?

For several reasons. Ill Inspecta was not me anymore, I had to play a role that I didnt play very well and I was getting tired of it. I had to make waaay to much compromises in all kinds of ways and I also was very unhappy with the business situation I was in.

From a business point of view that project was a failure. There was no marketing, mismanagement and several other issues. The great thing about Ill Inspecta was that I met a lot of wonderful people and saw many different countries. I also released an album in Japan, an album in Europe, and several tracks on various Riddims for some great producers including Massive B and South Rakkas. I created some nice tracks during the Ill Inspecta years, but it is only now, since I decided to venture out on my own, that I am now able to make music that really represents me. I will definitely not stop making music, but I will take a moment to regroup.

I started working as a web developer at a company situated near Stuttgart due to the financial setbacks caused by the Ill Inspecta project. This is actually a great break for me because it gave me the opportunity to get back into the tech field. Internet technology is another passion of mine and I received my degree in computer science and economics (Wirtschaftsinformatik), so it's great to utilize those skills. I currently reside in Stuttgart with my wife. It's nice to be back here. I grew up in Stuggi and it's nice to be back home. It's funny how you only really appreciate your hometown once you return after having been gone for a while.

So, this is my blog! It's called hustle and grow. I believe in personal growth and hustling hard to achieve your dream. That's what I am going to talk about here. I will talk about my hustle in the music business and in the tech industry. My goal is to enrich myself through the pursuit of my goals and encourage others to do the same. That's what it's all about!

This is the real me, Kahlil.

Although I am taking a break as an artiste, I have not left the music behind.

Right now I am working with Lexie Lee and Ronny Trettmann. I specialize in internet marketing, promotions, implementation and consulting. I enjoy my work a great deal and look forward to utilizing these new skills in my future projects as an artiste and business person. If you guys are on twitter link us up.

www.twitter.com/kahlilsan

www.twitter.com/lexielee

www.twitter.com/heckertempire

You can also link me on the Ill Inspecta memorial page. Comments and feedback are always welcome.

Each blog will always contain different tracks that are important to me. Here are my first entries.

1. "We Don't Play" by Lexie Lee. We just put it up on her player today. This track was produced by Ralph Myerz from Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band. We Don't Play was released on the album entitled "Ralphorama!". The album also features artistes like Devin the Dude, Talib Kweli, Kurupt and Phil the Agony. Lexie Lee's track is absolutely sick! It pumps like hell and Lexie has maaaaad attitude. "We hustle, hustle, hustle so we haffi get pay!" Get it on iTunes and pump it!!!
2. Big up Ronny Trettmann for his tune "Heckert Empire". He really pounds on the haters hard in that track and he represents the attitude you really need to make your hustle work. F@#k what they say! Do what you KNOW is right! It's produced be the infamous Luke R.I.C.H., who will, I think, stir up a lot of shit in the near future with his mad electro-dancehall-hip hop productions.
3. I'm definitely feeling Charly Black right now. His tune "Rich Dis Year" is the tune of the f@#king year. Hustle, hustle, hustle and grow! Make money. "I'm in a financial crisiiiiiis!" LOL. That guy is crazy. You can listen to it on Ronny's MySpace in the Heckert Empire TOP 5 player.

Summary: Rest In Peace Ill Inspecta, it was fun while it lasted. I learned a lot and it was a great ride but it is time for change! I feel Barack on that.

Congratulations to Barack Hussein Obama, this campaign and the election were absolutely incredible.

The amount of people that mobilized for change and Barack in this election is inspiring to me. He makes sense when he speaks. When was there EVER anybody that won a political election, asside from Kennedy, by making sense and answering questions in a straight forward manner? I have never witnessed that before in my life.

One special big up goes to Gary Vaynerchuk for the amount of inspiration he brings to the table when it comes to people hustling on the net!!! Check him out, he's in my Blog roll.

Big ups to you guys too. I appreciate you reading my blog and all your comments. Link me anytime.

Kahlil.