(AllHipHop News) Three of the most vital voices in Hip Hop over the last fifteen years are joining together for a music and business collaborative effort. According to OkayPlayer, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, and 9th Wonder have announced the new Native Tongues inspired collective Indie 500.
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“We looked at each other and we were like, we should do business together and music together. Not just on the rap side, but on the touring side, the business side and sharing of information,” stated Monch. “It’s empowering, it’s beautiful, and it’s important for that to be known. To inspire younger generations to not only rap, but to start companies and corporations.”
Monch’s W.A.R. Media, Kweli’s Javotti Media, and 9th’s Jamla Records are combining to further support the independent status of the respective imprints. Indie 500 is centered around the brand of Hip Hop that often gets ignored by mainstream radio.
“Indie 500 is a kind of continuation of the Native Tongues sound all the way to the Rawkus sound. Badu, Jill Scott, Slum Village — anywhere that has that texture of sound that feels good with good lyrics — Indie 500 is a continuation of that and a new generation,” said 9th. “We’re trying to continue on the tradition of classic — what they like to call ‘traditional’ — Hip Hop. Grass roots, deep-rooted Hip Hop music.”
The new collective is likely to grow to include other like-minded artists. W.A.R. already works with acts like MERNA, Mystic, and Mela Machinko. Jamla’s roster includes Rapsody, GQ, and Big Remo. Javotti has Res, Niko Is, and CoryMo.
“It’s everybody that we’re down with…anybody that has an independent mind state or spirit is Indie 500,” adds Kweli. “It’s important for us, as artists, that we value the art, and we raise the value of art. So we state that we’re independent, that we’re black owned, we’re stating that we have value and you need to pay attention to us.”
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Watch Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, and 9th Wonder discuss Indie 500 in the video below.