Hip-Hop pioneer
Afrika Bambaataa will be among those honored with a permanent street sign in
a Bronx Week Walk of Fame induction ceremony taking place later this month.
Bambaataa, a Bronx native, will be recognized along with legendary Broadway
producer Manny Azenberg, best selling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark, football
hall of famer Art Donovan and Grammy-nominated percussionist Bobby Sanabria.
Borough president Adolfo Carrion, Jr. will unveil the signs during the event,
which takes place at 11 a.m. on June 25 at the corner of Grand Concourse &
E. 161 Street. Admission is free and open to the public.
According to reports,
more tragedy has struck rap group D12. While details are sketchy, D12 member
Bizarre’s wife Sindy, leader of the rock group Sindy Syringe was shot in Detroit
on May 26. While details are sketchy, a posting on D12’s official website stated
Sindy, who is signed to Bizarre’s Red Head Records imprint, is home recovering
from her wounds.
TJ’s DJ’s Record
and CD Pool and Ozone magazine have teamed to create the 2006 Tastemakers/DJ
Music Conference, as well as the 1st Annual Ozone Awards. Taking place in Orlando,
Florida from Aug. 4-6, the conference will allow attendees to network and celebrate
the various achievements the southern entertainment industry has accomplished.
Panels, a fashion show and concert are all slated to take place during the two
day event, which concludes Sunday, August 6 with the Ozone Awards at the Bob
Carr Auditorium. For more information visit www.tjsdjs.com.
Rappers Ice Cube
and Public Enemy’s Chuck D. are among the artists featured in the July issue
of Penthouse magazine, dubbed The Penthouse Music issue. In the article,
the rappers discuss a number of topics, including the evolution of Hip-Hop and
racism in Hollywood. "You’re gonna face old Hollywood that wants to keep
the status quo and then you’ll face people who don’t want you in the game because
you’re not a thespian — you even have your own people hating you in various
ways," Ice Cube tells the adult magazine. The magazine also lists the rising
stars of Hip-Hop, R&B and Reggaeton, naming Papoose, Shareefa, Consequence,
Rick Ross and Lupe Fiasco as stars to watch in 2006.
Hip-Hop scribe
Soren Baker recently authored a new book documenting the evolution of Hip-Hop
culture and rap music titled The Music Library: The History of Rap and Hip-Hop.
The book chronicles the advancement of the genre and its effects on the Hip-Hop
culture. Geared toward middle and high school students, the seven-chapter book
also examines a variety of topics including “The Roots of Hip-Hop Culture,”
“The Rise of the South” and “The Rap Business Explodes.”
“It is an honor to have been able to write this book,” Baker said.
“Hip-Hop and rap have been integral parts of my life since I was about
10 or 11 years old." The offering also features several sidebars, quotes
and colorful commentary from Afrika Bambaataa, Mary J. Blige, Schoolly D, Diddy,
MC Lyte, Fabolous, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Layzie Bone, 2Pac, Chingy, the
Outlawz, Yukmouth, David Banner, Eminem and Lil Jon among others. The Music
Library: The History of Rap and Hip-Hop
can be found at traditional andonline retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.