Picture: Oscar Grant’s Uncle, Cephus Johnson aka Uncle Bobby along with Minister Keith Muhammad. Sat July 10 Oakland, Ca: There was a press conference held at True Vine Church Here organizers along with the Oscar Grant family returned from Los Angeles and gave a Community Report Back. They go in on the jury and the […]

He was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Basketball became his outlet and saving grace. He became a hometown hero, beloved by his state, and revered by his peers. His name is Lebron James, professional basketball player. Lebron loves Akron, he loves Ohio, and he loves his fans. Fresh out of High School, he was […]

As I lay suffering in the intense discomfort created by the countdown to the verdict that will inevitably change my city – maybe even the whole country – forever, I have come to realize what most saddens me about the murder of Oscar Grant and subsequent trial of Johannes Mehserle.It isn’t the fact that Grant […]

Are Jay-Z, Obama and others a part of the Illuminati? Obama (or a helluva look-a-like) was in Tag Team’s “Whoomp There It Is Video.” Furthermore, Jay-Z has been bragging about hanging out with Obama. The Urban Daily’s Mighty Casey has decided “investigate” whether or not both of them are part of a new hip-hop Illuminati. […]

Blame it on the goose, blame it on the henney, blame it on the vodka (which happened to be Ciroc mixed with lemonade) or blame it on the remy, blame it on the alc alc alc alc alcohol, blame it on the alc alc alc alc alcohol, or just blame it on the fact that […]

In Search of The New Sound (‘Goose Bump’ Music) I can’t put into words how much I am enjoying playing the new album from the roots, ‘How I Got Over’ – with headphones on. The experience gives me an excuse to write about something I’ve been working on for some time. Perhaps you can help […]

Coincidentally or maybe not, AllHipHop.com and theGrio.com partnered to discuss Hip Hop and Politics during the same week that many recognized the day of birth of arguably one of the most influential artists of a musical genre; he who may have well been the last rapper thus far, who simultaneously displayed the ability to successfully […]

Click here for Part I “Jay-Z can market just about everything but a breakfast cereal because he’s got huge talent and a savvy business manager, John Meneilly, a former Provident Financial executive.” – New York Post; May 16, 2010; ‘Jay-Z’s 99 problems’ Please, can we stop being so spooky about Jay-Z, for just a few […]

Whenever we talk about Hip-Hop and Politics it’s always done from the standpoint with us going to the ballot box as the ultimate goal. Don’t get me wrong, voting and participating in the electoral arena are important, but Hip-Hop is so much bigger and so is politics. For many of us politics is more than […]

Jasiri X is one of the most vocal rappers making Hip-hop with an overt message in the spirit of Public Enemy, X-Clan and Boogie Down Productions. The Pittsburgh emcee tells AllHipHop.com and the Ill Community how such a Hip-Hop artist can make politically-minded music and still get to the money. When I wrote the song […]

Seandra Sims contributed to this report. Rappers Loon (r) and Freeway (l) during their pilgrimage to the Muslim Holy Land (Nov. 2009). “Deep like the mind of Farrakhan” – Notorious B.I.G.“Make your wife get on the horn call Minister Farrakhan / so he could persuade me to squash it (beef)” – Canibus “I’m headstrong / […]

David Banner has been to the left of the spotlight for a few years, but quietly the rapper/producer has been mastering his craft in other ways. First, is Death of a Pop Star, his upcoming collaboration with producer 9th Wonder. Another is his self-produced song “Evolve,” which was included in a recent campaign for Gatorade […]

During the 2008 presidential election, many from the political left and right insisted a straight line be drawn from Barack Obama directly to the “hip-hop community.” These folks, regardless of their political affiliation, often pointed to Obama’s race, his age, his claim to have Jay-Z in his iPod and his infamous brushing the dirt of […]

From June 1994 to April 2002, Ms. Erica Ford ran Tupac’s Code Foundation even after the rapper had passed away. Erica, Tupac, and his stepfather Mutulu Shakur, established The Code in 1994. The mission was simply to keep young people out of jail and to decrease “Black on Black” crime. Ms. Ford tells her taled […]

Gina Torres and Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur contributed to this report.   WHAT HAPPENED? An interesting thing happened to Styles P in 2005. The rapper released “I’m Black,” a song that lit a fire in the heart and minds of hip-hop fans of all colors and cultures. Fans waited and waited – for a video and a […]

This weekend one of hip-hop’s hottest acts, Drake, lent his talent to protest offshore drilling. On Sunday, the 23-year-old rapper performed at the ‘Stop The Offshore Drilling” rally at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. In May, hip-hop veteran Talib Kweli released a single about another hot political topic. It’s called ‘Papers Please’ — and […]

Jay-Z, Rich Righteous Teacher (Part I) (I’ve) never read the Qur’an, or Islamic scriptures The only Psalms I’ve read was on the arms of my n*****s – Jay-Z, Intro off of the The Dynasty: Roc La Familia If there were any track in the universe of Jay-Z’s catalogue, which I think represents the powerful puzzle […]

WATCH THIS ORIGINAL REPORT ON THE EVOLUTION OF HIP-HOP AND POLITICS Before hip-hop became the multi-billion dollar industry it is today, there was a group of young lyricists who were ahead of their time. Telling unfiltered truths about the struggles of blacks in the late 1960s and early 70s, they called themselves The Last Poets.”When […]

The relationship between Hip-Hop, community action and politics is a volatile and symbiotic relationship with all working with and against each other seemingly at the same time. Hip-Hop has typically been critical of the powers that be, but also been driven by a desire for those in power to improve the environment. Hip-Hop to the […]

NEW YORK –TheGrio.com and AllHipHop.com, in partnership with NBC News, will debut “Hip-Hop & Politics: From The Beat to The Ballot” starting June 14. The weeklong series will run on both websites as part of Black Music Month. Chuck Creekmur of AllHipHop and David Wilson of TheGrio discuss the series on MSNBC in the video […]