Some photo updates!

The current form of Third Level Entertainment Studios

Me at 2Beyond Studio in Richmond working on the "Cowboys Don't Cry" instrumental.

A great amount of good things are happening in my life right now!  Saving up for a house, working with a financial adviser, holding down a great full-time job, and freely creating.  I'm very happy at the moment.  I have decided that I don't want to limit God and my life with closed-mindedness anymore.  I want to experience everything God has put on this Earth that is good.  I need to travel and get out of this area for one, but everything will come in time!

Just a quick share in this post... I gotta head to work now!  More tomorrow!!!

Moving Forward

So, in the past 24 hours... I have

Finished the AutoBEATography and I'm happy with the results.

Found out that I have to re-mixdown them all into .wav format (I thought everywhere accepted MP3s... I was wrong!)...

Found out that to create my first 100 Hard Copy CDs will cost me $45 for the Inserts and $110 for the CDs plus the jewel cases.  A grand total of $155 and that doesnt include $10 processing and whatever shipping is.

So, that would only set back someone who does not have faith!  I will still release the project on the 4th, however, it will only be available for download on the 4th.  I'll place the order in the next few days and have the hard copy out by the 24th (my birthday).

Phly Philly Phil was good in giving the advice that I should do this first.  I have seen so many kinks and setbacks!  However, all is well and I can't complain.  This will go down as a major experience and I'll be able to dodge some of the setbacks on my full length album.

Thanks for your support on this project!

In other news, I recorded "Cowboys Don't Cry" which is a country song!  I won't go into details on it, but if all goes well, hopefully you'll be hearing it on a grand stage in the near future.

Well, that's all for now!

Feel free to leave me a note or message!

twitter: @ kennyjohnsoniii
email: kennyjohnsonmusic@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/kennyjohnsoniii

For Clarity Sake!!!

WELL... OBVIOUSLY...

Morning!  Good Morning to all!  

I just wanted to put out a small disclaimer...  this mixtape is FREE... as in, 100% download it at your leisure, no hassle, pick a penny up off the ground Free... like its your birthday so here's some cake Free...  Like someone walking down the street gives you a puppy and walks away Free... Did I mention it's free???

You will not pay a dime for this.  Why you ask?

Well, let me help you understand.  The AutoBEATography will be free because:

a.)  I do not own the rights to any of my samples... I simply arranged them for fun and for talent development.

b.) Because really, who charges for a beat sampler CD?

c.) This is my first offering to the masses, and I don't want anyone to miss out because they feel like being chinchy.

d.) Cuz the rent is too damn high... aint nothing else to talk about... lol (I couldn't resist)

So basically, I just wanted to give you this experience.  Think of it as us first meeting and me buying the first drink or meal.  It's on me.  Now the next time I drop something, it's your turn to buy the meal! :-)

Amongst other things, I'm editing out the kinks between today and Thursday.  I should have a perfectly finished final product with all the leveling and editing out of the way by then.

If you can't tell I'm very excited.  I'm def ready for this to get out there!

Much love and enjoy your day!

@ kennyjohnsoniii

kennyjohnsonmusic@gmail.com

Table of ILL Contents!

Contents for The AutoBEATography: Progressions of a Producer...

All beats/music/lyrics/performances/editing/recording done and arranged by Kenny Johnson III of Third Level Entertainment, LLC. (with the exception of the bonus track, which was produced by Core Sounds).

1.) Introduction 

2.) Humble Beginnings

3.) Sampling

4.) Honing Skills (Focus on Music)

5.) Mentor Moves On... A New Challenger Awaits...

6.) Last Year of College

7.) Grown Man

8.) Smooth Individual Clique

9.) Learning From The Least Likely Teacher...

10.) Today's Times

11.) Wrap-Up and Bonus Track (Tonight by Kenny Johnson III, written by Kenny Johnson III, produced by CoreSoundz Beats)

There you have it, a solid 11 track story.  From 2005 to 2012... 7 years (a fitting number) that marks the end of the rookie phase, and sets off the next chapter in Kenny Johnson III's music.

July 4th is gonna be dope!!!

Twitter: @ kennyjohnsoniii

Facebook: kennyjohnsoniii

Email: KennyJohnsonMusic@gmail.com

The End of the Beginning...

And just like that ladies and gentlemen, The AutoBEATography: Progressions of a Producer is complete.  With a little editing, and some tweaking, we'll have the polished finished product well ahead of schedule!

The hard part is over, so now just getting it out to people and having them hear my story is the next step.

Getting people to hear should be the hard part, you say?  I could agree, but you'd have to fully know where I've come from in order to understand why I mean what I'm saying.

Me creating this is nothing short of a miracle.  I come from a very closed-minded, heavily church-fortified family.  If it's not "Christian Music" then it is forbidden.  That mental lock has been on me since I was a little kid.  The reason this production is coming out on Independence Day is symbolic of me breaking away from the closed-mindedness that comes with a traditional baptist background.

Me doing what I'm doing is in some people's eyes (and in the eyes of close family) as turning my back on God, or "moving sideways".  I have no intention on turning my back on God or anyone else, however, I have things inside me that cannot be oppressed any longer.  I only want to move forward, and I have realized that I will have to take a risk in order to obtain true happiness.  I have officially reached the point of "Make it or Bust".  I have realized that I can't make everyone else happy and there will be people who will not approve of my decisions and choices.

Liberation, Freedom, Self-Awareness... things that we all take for granted...

How free are you really?  I found out that I was not as free as I thought...

At any rate... The AutoBEATography will be the first step in a long list of broken chains.   The time is now to remove the shackles.  Forward Progress... NOW!!!

Magnificent Mondays: Jesse Boykins III

Magnificent Mondays: Part Deux

Jesse Boykins III

I don't often get a chance to meet alot of artists due to my own running around, but I'm very glad that Phly Philly Phil of 100 Purple Balloons dragged me out to the Jesse Boykins III concert.  This guy's music is legit. From Amorous, to Come to My Room, to Before the Night is Thru, Jesse Boykins III (please count the "third"; he's his own man)  will have you rocking, swaying, feeling all sorts of different emotions, and enjoying every minute of it.

I had the opportunity to shake hands with this gentleman. Very humble guy... you could feel the energy in the room.  He had all the ladies turning their heads... it was a cool sight indeed.  Presence is everything in performing, and this young man lacks none.

  

Do yourself a huge favor and check this artist out.  Download all the albums... Dopamine, The Beauty Created, and Way of a Wayfarer.  You won't be disappointed.

His Website: JBIIIMusic.com

Twitter: @JesseBoykins3rd

Check him out on YOUTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrvUltDKrZI&feature=fvst

Halfway There

And the saga continues!

Track 7 is complete, it features the time in which I moved out on my own and had the peace to finally start focusing on how to become a better producer.  I really started to evolve as a person at this point.  It was the beginning of my real change from a boy to a man.  The music really begins to mature here as well.  In the next chapter, Track 8, The Smooth Individual Clique is born.  Here we will discuss my starting to rap and sing in addition to making beats.  Again, as you may have guessed, I started out weak... lol.  Building skills takes time though... and boy did I need it!

Track 9 will be coming soon as well, and will highlight some collaborations with my Line Brother (LB) Greg aka G-Money aka Prada G aka "just 'G'".  LOL.  I love that guy.  

We're almost there!  7/4 is quickly approaching!  So much to do! So much to do!  I'm excited though, because I'll be sharing my gift with you shortly.  Thanks for reading thus far!

Also: Do me a favor and click the G+ button on the bottom to help me spread my blog a bit!  Thanks!!!

The AutoBEATography : Progressions of a Producer

Follow Me on Instagram and Twitter:  kennyjohnsoniii

Look for me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/kennyjohnsoniii

Good Morning!

In DC, Georgetown to be specific, attending the Romantic Movement concert...



Good Times

Enjoy your Wednesday!

I'll get some work done on the album tonight.  Fresh update shortly thereafter!  Thanks for the support!

Forward Progress...

So, Tracks 5 and 6 have been completed.

Track 5 is me reminiscing when my mentor Vel graduated and moved on, and it then introduces a new friend/rival in Zo Hinton, cool kid from the 7-5.  Sampling was again a major factor during this time period.  So much was going on during this time.  College life was absolutely crazy... but fraternal and uplifting... and spiritual.  So to say the least, I had alot going on.  I was continuing to learn the ropes of FL while trying to be a better overall producer.

Track 6 offers some shout outs and originals.  Good stuff to prepare for track 7, which will be about the transition from college life to the real world, track 8, my first attempt at performing, and then track 9, which will go into an interesting room mate situation that was initially not so good, but in the long run, turned out to be the catalyst for the most growth in my production.

I appreciate the fact that you've read this far.  I'll be putting up a sneak preview here shortly as a thank you for your support thus far.

Please check me out on Facebook (/kennyjohnsoniii), Twitter (@kennyjohnsoniii) and def on Instagram (@kennyjohnsoniii)... don't you love how I make things simple! lol...

Feel free to drop me a line as well on KennyJohnsonMusic@gmail.com.  I promise this production will be worth the wait.  You've never heard anything like this before.  Think of it as an audible business card... or a beat portfolio.  Either way, I'm sure you'll A.) Enjoy, and B.) feel like you know me a little better before I release my real LP.

God Bless!

Kenny Johnson, III

MAGNIFICENT MONDAY!!!

FEATURING AN UNDERGROUND ARTIST EVERY MONDAY!

Melo-X

http://meloxtra.com/



If you haven't heard of Melo-X by now, you've been missing out... this underground mastermind has been doing some major stuff!  He's a brilliant producer, and crafty songwriter.  Please do yourself a favor and check him out.  He did a crazy sample of Maxwell's Black Summer Night and killed it.  Check him out at Meloxtra.com, or simply go to Youtube and type in Melo-X and get started.  I'll even make it easy for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOjmM3ZCTsc will take you to this:



Check him out!!!

The AutoBEATography Progress Report: Day 2

MOVING RIGHT ALONG...

Yesterday yielded great results and positive feedback as I gave folks a sneak preview of The AutoBEATography.  I let one guy hear it and he was amazed...  I frequently get a lot of "who's that rapping?... That's not you..."  Yeah, bruh... that's me.  

It's kind of amazing how you can have a talent that you don't use for so long that when you do decide to do something with it, people never believe that it's you doing it.  

So, yesterday I completed the first four tracks.  I came in with a bang in the form of a strong 12 bars, then tapered off at the hook to introduce what the album is all about.  I felt like keeping it real and raw was the most authentic way to go... so it's pretty much like you and me sitting in my studio playing all these beats and telling you what the heck was going on in that time period.  Don't worry, I don't go into great detail, and for those of you with shorter attention spans, I promise it's not too boring!!!

I also let one of my music mentors, the Illustrious Fuzzy Fresh, hear some snippets...  in his own fuzzy way he let me know that he liked the direction it was going in.

I even let some non-hip-hop lovers hear it, and I got some different but positive complements.  I love how music can bring people together from nearly any walk of life!  It's truly awesome.

Well, next week, I'll be pricing some duplication companies to see how much a couple professional copies would be.  I am definitely planning to make this first outing fully professional so that I can know my roadblocks and mistakes before the full album drops.

Oh, and The AutoBEATography will be put out on datpiff.com, soundforge.com, soundclick.com, 2dopeboys.com, and getrightmusic.com, for those of you who won't be able to collect a hard copy.

Peace and Love!!!

To the Next Level... The Third Level

HERE... WE... GO........

Welcome to the next level... the Third Level...  

I'm your host Kenneth Johnson, III.  I appreciate you taking the time out to view the fledgling steps of the Third Level Entertainment Music Group.  

At Third Level, we are all about unbounded creativity and an overall love for music, fashion, art, and all things ill, dope, awesome, snazzy, swell, etc.  We believe that all things are possible, and "you are only as ill as you feel." 

The purpose of this first post is to simply introduce myself as the leader of Third Level.

I am a 27 year old producer/singer/rapper from Richmond, VA and I'm preparing to release the first official production of from Third Level at the end of this month.  It is called The AutoBEATography: Progression of a Producer.  This musical compilation will feature instrumental tracks that I've created throughout the years and will chronicle my time from 2005 to 2012 as a producer first.  This way, you will get to know me musically and see where I have come from and how I have progressed and matured as a beat-maker and overall artist.  I want to be as open and as raw as possible with everyone on this first impression so that you get to know the real me before you hear any of my songs.  I don't even know you yet, musically, personally, spiritually, etc., but when I drop my first tape, I want you to be able to feel like we've been friends forever.  I want to be a different type of artist... the type that feels like your cousin at a family reunion... so pass me some grilled chicken and beans and lets discuss the beauty of life together through music.

The AutoBEATography drops July 4, 2012.  Independence Day... cuz I'm breaking free from my own mental slavery.  HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!!!

Feel free to hit me up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kennyjohnsoniii) or Twitter @kennyjohnsoniii (twitter.com/#!/kennyjohnsoniii)

We are affiliated with 100 Purple Balloons (http://100purplebaloons.tumblr.com).  Visit them cuz they're dope.  Do it now!