Hip Hop Politics

2009-12-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

And it don't stop and it don't quit...

I haven't quit the blog! All I can say is I've been experimenting with and thinking about new approaches to the blog.

Since I started this blog the so called blogesphere has exploded with new blogs that pop up that get much more attention then mine.

So what Im gonna do from now on is just review records, probably like once a week, or as new music becomes available.

So, for the new year 2009 I will keep it moving.

2009-12-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Be the Change

This is dedicated to the kids I went to High School with.

2009-10-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Black “Lil’ Monkey” Baby Doll

Wow, this sucks. Who would buy such a stupid idea? Really stupid.

2009-09-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Prodigy Says Jay-Z Sides With The ‘Evil Illuminati’

On the day of his release of his historic Blueprint 3 album release, its funny that I finally found out about this story!

Like he does in his monthly blog on Vibe.com, the incarcerated Prodigy recently spewed more of his conspiracy theories via a handwritten letter to URB. This time, he reveals the moment his eyes were opened to the sham he calls “the government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, and I.R.S.”

According to P, in 1996, after reading a book by Dr. Malichi Z. York titled Leviathan 666, he was moved so much, he cried, and that was his “moment of clarity.”

“I was crying for all of humanity, but mostly for my black people ’cause I then realized it was all a sham,” Prodigy writes in his letter to URB. “The government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, the I.R.S., and everything that we believe and live by is a joke.”

Check out the rest on Aftermath News!

2009-08-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

John Stockwell: The Third World War

The CIA and their license to kill is nothing new. Here is a brief presentation by John Stockwell about the CIA's war on the people of the Third World and elsewhere.

2009-08-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Reverend KRS-One?

Check out "KRS Plans New Hip-Hop Religion With 'Gospel of Hip Hop'" on All Hip Hop.

This whole idea that KRS One has about taking hip hop and starting a new religion, Im not with it, personally. I mean, I like hip hop culture, but can it really replace the more known religions we have today?

In reading the article above, one thing I notice is the range of opinions and reactions to this idea. KRS has his core of "believers". He could probably go overseas to Japan and Germany, and people will hang on his every word.

But here in the USA, lots of hip hop fans follow in the tradition of Malcolm X. They question everything and are well read and knowledgable. Most hip hop fans have minds of their own. For the most part, they embody a wide variety of religions and ethnicities. You got your Christian rappers like Da Truth who know scripture well, Five Percenters like Lord Jamar who can break down 5% theology, and the numerous far left political rappers espousing such ideas as socialism and nationalism. Hip hop at its best was acknowledging the problem of the oppressed and giving solutions to those problems.

Thats what I liked about hip hop the best; the fact that it was a platform where you had skills you could break down what it was you believed or rep who you were. So how you going to turn a platform into a religion? Hip hop was meant to just be what you made it. Hip hop doesnt make you, you make it. Thats my "science" to this.

So, in that tradition, I just aint with it. I doubt that I will go beyond glancing at this book in the bookstore. But bring it in my home and use as a guide for my life? I ain't with it. KRS's hip hop ministry is not for me. Im sure that at best, it will be a mix of ideas that he has gotten from many different sources, like his music. I guess that is the idea, like hip hop, in that it will use old stuff to create something totally new. I'll just stick with what I know.

2009-08-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

LISTEN TO THIS! Can Black people become White supremacists?

2009-08-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version

A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

A high school and college educator for nearly twenty years, Reginald Bullock, the visionary creator behind Erisai Films and the short video, “A War For Your Soul,” has always had an interest in working with the youth and getting young people to utilize their full potential. “A War For Your Soul,” is an independent, nonprofit, 15-minute film aimed at African-American youth. The Bronx native’s latest release infuses African-American history with today’s current events, and expresses how they relate, inspiring youth to look critically at themselves and, at the very least, facilitating meaningful discussion amongst our at-risk youth. In turn, this film has enabled him to work, at a larger scale, with at-risk youth regarding topics and interests that are relevant to them. “A War For Your Soul” is vastly sweeping the nation, as many African-American leaders and organizations have endorsed the film and given it great reviews; this includes various churches, multiple colleges and universities, as well as youth organizations. Reginald Bullock’s primary interest remains in helping out our youth. For more information about interviews, or to set up speaking engagements for Reginald Bullock, please feel free to contact Ms. Lee at nadine@speakthedream.org

2009-08-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Drake,Weezy,Jeezy and Jay Z era

Twista back it the days "No Peace Sign"
It was interesting how last week Eminem put out a dis to Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. I don't care to hear it, really. In this new era of rap, though Eminem can rap and still sell a substantial amount of records, he's still being outshined.

This one artist Drake, a kid who used to be on that Degrassi High show,is one of the artists on next. For me, it's obvious that hip hop is just too young. Personally, I'd rather hear somebody rap about God and current events. Also, Im old school, digging in the crates, and finding new old school stuff constantly.

So far, Drake is only talking about "The Best He Ever Had". Twista is still doing that pimp/playa stuff thats been done too much already. That "Wetter" track is just him putting out more of that "Slow Jamz" or "Overnight Celebrity" stuff. Nothing really groundbreaking, buts fits in with that whole "swagger" thing which is so important these days.

I remember when Twista first came out dropping serious science. He had this song "No Peace Sign". Shows how it used to be cool to talk on that level, now on "Wetter", it's about being a pimp/player, making it rain in the strip club, and having loads of swagger. See how far we've come?

Today is Chuck D's birthday. When he and his group, Public Enemy, came out with "It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back", he was 28. Keep im mind that now rappers who are old like to dis rappers who are older (like the Game vs. Jay-Z). But somebody being that old was not a liability like it is now. Somebody older could be more selective and careful in what they say, and still rock a crowd. Now, it seems like perpetual youth and stupidity is the norm.

With that, hip hop doesn't challenge or stimulate the mind. There is hardly anything equaling Nation of Millions,BDP's "By All Means Necessary" or even, dare I say it, NWA's "Straight Out of Compton". Whereas you'd hear something in the lyrics that you'd learn from and have a good time, now hip hop just exists. In one editorial I read, they said that in this last couple of weeks, nobody worth hearing has released a rap album worth hearing. Tough times for rap.

20 years from "Nation of Millions", and hip hop doesnt challenge or stimulate your mind. It just exists to cater to fantasies. "Wetter" is just a fantasy of being a 90's era pimp/player. "Best I Ever Had" is a fantasy of having sex with fantasy chicks. Baby and Lil Wayne's "Strapped" is a fantasy about being a "gangsta", and being proud of it. I guess it could be debated that NWA did the same thing, but believe me,it's obvious that it was not the same thing, so dont even try it.

Anybody who raps with more than half a brain is struggling on the fringes with some Indie label. Its not like there isn't any thought provoking rap anymore. There is, but like anything, you'd have to be the type who wants it and is willing to go to great lengths to find it. This can cater to a very special niche audience, but what of this generation so desperately trying to live up to the nonsense thats being marketed so aggresively to them?

Twista Now "Wetter"

2009-07-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

The first "gangsta rap" song

Being the rap historian that I am, I think the biggest debate I have heard is what is the first "gangsta rap" song. I think this is as hotly debated as the question "what is the first rap hit?" The official first gangsta rap record is alot stickier though, because it all depends on where you're from.

If you're from New York, the first gangsta rap record is BDP's "9 MM Goes Bang". This record is a historical one, sandwiched between the dominance of RUN DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, and the transition of KRS-One to "Edutainment". With the death of Scott La Rock, KRS-One saw the power of his rhyme. However, for the NYC hip hop scene the record stands as one which would transform hip hop from fun party music to "hardcore" hip hop.

If you're from Philly, the first gangsta rap record is Schooly D's "Saturday Night". Schooly D stands out as one of the first rappers to take his reality as a member of a Philly street gang and turn it into something big. Though it was a little less extreme than the AK-47 fantasies of NWA, it was the first time a rapper would get on record and glorify violence, drugs and gangs.

If you're from the South, it would have to have been all about "Triggaman". Also called the "Drag Rap", this record didnt make much noise at all in New York. I think even when I was listening to hip hop shows I only heard it like once. However, somebody was listening to it, and it would evolve into "crunk" in Atlanta and "bounce" in New Orleans. People up North didn't really get it, and it wasn't really sounding like anything else coming out of New York. So influential is this record, aspects of it can be heard in most "Dirty South" and Bay Area (North Cali) raps to this day.

Then there is the infamous West Coast. At the time gangsta rap was just an idea, LA was gang central back in like 87-88. What the first gangsta rap record coming out of Cali is debatable. There were plenty of local hits coming out in such a short span of time. In my opinion, the first one that put it all together and had the most mass appeal was Ice T's "6 N the Morning". Dark, menancing and brutal, Ice T took things out of the local skate rinks and put it out there to scare middle America. It was a masterpiece of theatrical, exageratted and vivid storytelling.

Like I said, this can be open to debate. Its funny when you think about it, but if these records hadn't been made, then there would be no Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, no Death Row records, no Dr Dre or NWA, no Tupac Shakur legacy, none of that. To anybody reading this, holler at me; whats your top 10 gangsta rap songs?

2009-07-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

"Whip it Like a Slave"

After hearing about this on here, I had to check it out.

It's your standard mindless Dirty South jam with a chopped up chorus; not as offensive as the original poster made it out to be.

After hearing it, I dont know if I can launch the same diatribe that the other guy did. If anything, it was more dumb than offensive. Better yet, its too dumb to be offensive. Thats it.

2009-06-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

VIBE Magazine Folds

Wow. I knew that things got bad for magazines but I didnt think it got this bad.

Now, Vibe Magazine is folding, ie, ending publication.

It seems like it was just yesterday I picked up the very first issue with Naughty By Natures Treach. I wasnt sure how long it would last, but I didnt think it would last this long!

They made many mistakes like hyping up the East/West thing, but when they did good, it was really good.

Wonder which magazine is next?

2009-06-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

BET AWARDS AND WHATNOT....

Yesterday I watched the BET Awards and they were alright. One thing that tripped me out on the show was the performance by that non rappin' Soulja Boy.

Soulja Boy is the typical punching bag for bloggers who like real hip hop, so Im not going to diss him, but I want to briefly analyze his performance.

First, the thing about hip hop, and I mean real hip hop, is that you rhyme. I didnt hear Soulja Boy rhyme. What he did was I think yell the same line over and over. I swear, I couldnt tell whether he was trying to rap a couple lines, or if he was doing the hook!

It also tripped me out that everybody in the audience was all acting like it was good! Then, he be thinking, "Oh they like me, Im HOT!"

That performance was just the utter opposite of what hip hop is. It strips away everything that makes hip hop complex. Its like, give a kid a hot beat and a couple of words to yell over and over, and hey, you got hip hop!

However, I don't think what Soulja Boy did was hip hop. It was something else. It couldn't be hip hop, could it?

2009-06-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hip-Hop’s Open Letter to the Class of ‘09

Nothing but realness in this speech! A sample:

Congratulations, not just saying it just to say it, but meaning it with all of my heart and soul because very few in this world expected you to make it this far! While you, your family and friends have been waiting patiently for this day for 13 plus years, there have been certain others; people in positions of power that have been anticipating your fall, just like how many of your fellow classmates didn’t make it to see this day for a variety of reasons.

When tragedy befalls the innocent and/or the powerless it brings to us much pain. This contains a deeper and harder meaning when we realize and consider that our communities disproportionately suffer from great ailments in comparison to the White majority. These ailments include poverty, police brutality, incarceration, street violence, domestic violence and overall, in the immortal coinage of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, “Mis-education,” which is yet another form of violence and truly most determines our condition today as Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and generally peoples of color.

Everybody got to read this here!

2009-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

THE SCOTTISH INVENTED RAP? I DONT THINK SO!

According to this article, black people didn't invent rap? No, it was the Scottish!

Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel aren't going to be too pleased about this.

Professor Ferenc Szasz, of the University of New Mexico is arguing rap battles were invented by the Scots, and not, as many would believe, by African Americans. The battles, in which two or more performers trade elaborate insults, derive from the ancient Caledonian art of "flyting" says Szaz.

The UK Telegraph says according to the theory, Scottish slave owners took the tradition with them to the United States, where it was adopted and developed by slaves, emerging many years later as rap.

Now Im not going to get on any black nationalistic soapbox or nothing like that, but to me rap music, like every other popular form of American music, is the product of many cultures. No one group of people can lay claim to this. Its odd to say that one group (especially the Scottish, of all people?) can lay claim to this. Look, when I think of the Scottish, I think of that Groundskeeper Willie character from the Simpsons, and thats a long way off from hip hop, you know?

2009-05-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY B.I.G.!

VIDEO:Notorious B.I.G. Birthday 05/21/93 The Arena Brooklyn N.Y.
Today, it being Christopher Wallace’s birthday, I had the urge to see that movie Notorious from last year, and that movie had me speechless in the end. To see a lot of things acted out, like Big’s conflict with Lil’ Kim and the big confrontations between BIG and Tupac were awesome. I never truly liked BIGGIE’s music. When BIGGIE’s “Ready to Die” came out, I was still stuck on Ice Cube, PE, Rakim and Nas. I though PE’s “It Takes A Nation of Millions..” and Nas’s “Illmatic” were the only rap albums worth liking. Hearing “Ready to Die”, I was like “what the.?” As much as I liked Dre’s Chronic album, I was turned off by the similarities in “Ready To Die”. The blatant lifting of the G-Funk sound, the samples of Dre, all the preoccupation with “gangsta” just turned me off. I knew what Diddy was trying to do in taking rap to the mainstream, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Despite my bias, I still enjoyed “Notorious”. It was realistic and really caught the vibe of the mid 90s hip hop and all the drama that came with it. Like all movies there was a lot left out; and you have to wonder why certain people were left out or just seen as irrelevant. But then you realize that this movie was only 2 hours long, and that they can only put so much into the movie, but what they put in is just very fresh, engaging and entertaining. Seeing BIG’s childhood acted out by his son is genius on the part of the producers. Then there is BIG running the streets, becoming the boss of his street, then the jail sentence and his subsequent rise to rap stardom and fame. The movie does really good in painting a picture of BIGGIES dark side, while portraying him as still having a heart. I imagine that for BIGGIE’s mom, and Lil’ Kim, this movie was probably hard to make, but I’m sure Miss Wallace was satisfied with the end product. Gravy, the ex rapper who play’s BIGGIE looks so much like BIGGIE, that it is unsettling. Guaranteed to become a fixture once BET gets its hands on it, I’m sure you wont miss it.

2009-05-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

RIP DOLLA

It's the day of Malcolm X's birth and nobody seems to remember. Then I have to turn on the news and see reports of another young bro getting killed. Granted, on the news sites people are asking if this is really news.

Its not really news per se, but the emphasis is there because Dolla was a rapper. However, it is indicative of what is going on to so many other young men who aren't rappers, who's story dont make Daily Beast and EURWEB postings.

On the subway in DC I was on there were a bunch of kids acting extra loud, extra noisy, and it was two young black men beating a young black woman. You want to do something, but what the hell can be done. One man says "Why don't you all calm down?" And the kids yell back "No, you calm down!" These kids, they out of control and you never know with them whats up. There's only so much you can do. You dont know what these kids are packing, and they got no respect for nothing.

Then when I get home, I hear about gang stuff happening in DC. 4 Shot, 1 Critically, in D.C.; Police Chase Van, Apprehend 3. Damn, too much to put up with on one day. And all this on Malcolm X's birthday. The world's just gone crazy, straight up loco.

Hey, check this out, the National Gang Threat Summary.

POLITICIO: HIP HOP ON THE HILL

2009-05-19T19:58:00.001-07:00

2009-05-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Scipts N' Screwz "The New Noise"

Scripts and Screwz is a rap group coming from East Saint Louis, Illinois. Listening to their record called “The New Noise”, I felt I was drawn to their unique sound and flows. Unlike most artists who just talk about what is popular like street life and, well, just a lot of nonsense, rapper Scripts and Loose Screwz talk about the real world, and stuff that everybody can relate too.

This frankness gives them an air of realness which doesn’t need any kind of hype. The group just lets the music do the talking. What I like the most about the group are the tracks and the subjects that they talk about in their music. Songs such as “Bright City Lights”, “Hands High” and “My First Rhyme” have that common theme of their wanting to be successful artists, dreaming about doing it and being successful at it and getting fame. The good and bad side of love and relationships is a common theme in “Fairy Tale” and “Help” which are about falling in love and the drama of relationships.

The groups got its politics but it is related to its affects on people in the real world in “The War Outside”, a bangin rock track that deals with the question of if its really worth fighting in wars for lying politicians. Most interesting is the groups emphasis on addiction and death in such songs as “Brick”, “Eastwood”, “Lonely” “Eyes Wide Shut” and “Addiction”. Rather than glorify the darker realities of the streets and the city, they tell you like it is based on what realities they have experienced.

The songs have substance, but does the music bump? Scripts and Screwz got hot beats on all the songs. Though at times the mood of the music is a little dark, it is the type of music that will sound good in any car. They got songs that you can nod your head to (like “Proceed”), and some songs (like “Brick” and “Like This”) that you can dance to. This is a breath of fresh air and an alternative to all the crap that they got playing on the radio these days. If you want some serious head music you can rock to, check out Scripts and Screwz.

CHECK OUT SCRIPTS AND SCREWZ: THEIR SITE,THEIR BLOG, AND MYSPACE!!!!!!

2009-03-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

The Wackness

Im watching this movie now, The Wackness. Not only is this the title of the movie, this is the right word to describe this movie.

The plot? Who cares. It is just like an hour and a half of muddling through the lives of two losers, one middle age, and one teen.

There is hardly a plot with an ending to spoil. The whole movie is spoiled. The only gimmick of this movie is that in the first half of the movie, they play alot of hip hop. The movie is set in '94, but some of the music they play to fit the time didn't come out until '95 and '96.

Even though they try to appeal (or pander to) the hip hop audience, there is very little that will appeal to them. The teen is a drug dealer, but he's probably the lamest drug dealer I've ever seen portrayed in a film. He does use a little slang, like "Word" and "Peace Out". But he's so boring.

Then there is the "love interest". She's kinda hot. Just kinda. I'd like to see the actress in a real movie. Method Man appears in the movie, as a Jamaican drug dealer. Hearing Meth talk in a Jamaican accent is too too funny. You just have to hear it.

When they get past the hip hop gimmick, and when the movie finally comes to an end to the tune of "All The Young Dudes", a rock song from the 70s, I start thinking that this movie would have been more interesting if it was about a white drug dealer in New York who graduates in like, 1974. If you replace the hip hop with rock music from the 70s (like Lou Reed and David Bowie), and change the main characters wardrobe to some 70s type style, you would've had a better movie. The movie as it is now sucks bad. Two thumbs down.

2009-02-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

8th Grade Black History Month Rap - Young Majesty and La'Qua "Timeline"

Young Majesty and La'Qua perform an original rap entitled "Timeline" in honor of Black History Month.

2008-12-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

88-Keys "True Feelings" Video

I listened to this album this weekend.

2008-12-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

Three Stooges Throw Pies at Bush

Classic. I hope this video is seen for years to come.

2008-12-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

SHORT DOCUMENTARY FROM OUTTHERE

This is a short documentary from OUTHERE:

From OUTTHERE's site:

This is a Documentary about our experience on Election Day. We are Obama supporters, so this documentary is from that perspective. The video features footage from the polls and from the official Obama/Lautenberg Election Day Party at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick.You can also see an impromptu march by the students of Rutgers University in celebration of the Obama victory. Thank you for watching this movie Length: 48:52

2008-11-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

This Week With Jasiri X-Season 2 Trailer

Guess Who's Coming to Thanksgiving Dinner?