I’m thinking back to a conversation I had with an old friend at an event late last week. “Bey’s pregnant,” he whispered. I replied, “I knew it,” recalling a recent picture I had seen of her performing in a shiny, red, typical Beyonce get-up. Her face was fat, her tatas were bigger, and the […]

“We do big things.”President Barack Obama Hip-Hop music and culture was born out of the most destitute of conditions in the South Bronx of the 1970’s. It was a time that most of us cannot imagine, and that area resembled a bomb-stricken war zone. But it is out of that condition that Hip-Hop was born, […]

[Note: Chuck D wrote this essay as a letter to Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur (AllHipHop.com) and Davey D (DaveyD.com). With permission, the message by the Public Enemy leader, has been edited slightly into a scathing editorial about the media, Hip-Hop and the how the culture has been pimped by a mere few.] Chuck D: I really […]

So I suppose the indignant spirit of Sean Hannity lived on as Tucker Carlson filled in for his absence on Fox News. Either that, or that bowtie has finally cut off too much oxygen circulating in his head. In what could be interpreted as an attempt to aim a thinly veiled insult at President Obama […]

  YES! It is that time once again, where I – illseed – offer up my person of the year. By this time, you have already read the headline and know that that person is none other than Nicki Minaj! (CHEERS!) Yes, Nick Minaj. Ms. Minaj joins the ranks of Rick Ross, MC Hammer, Will […]

Dear Fans, I am overwhelmed with the love and support I have been getting from family, friends and fans. I simply over worked myself. As I chase down success I have to take care of myself better while I am chasing my dream. I’m getting rest now and going to work towards having a better […]

Historically, beef and battling in as Hip-Hop as good ol’ fashioned apple pie is to America. But, will that continue as a new decade begins in 2011? Salt-N-Pepa did it. KRS-One did it. Roxanne Shante did it. 50 Cent did it. They all came up through the ranks of Hip-Hop, getting their true opportunity through […]

So, Jay-Z and his Roc Nation appear to be very resolute in assembling artist that will include all sorts of musical flavors. There’s J. Cole, Electronica, Willow Smith, Sean Garrett and others like Rihanna that have their careers managed by the company. But, there is one veteran group that turned down the opportunity of a […]

For years I have thought, argued and even ‘worried,’ over the critical issue of preserving Hip-Hop’s political essence and evolving its international geopolitical influence. I have been excited by the energy of the youth which the culture and art form captures and always seems to represent, only to be disappointed by how that force – […]

I guess I’m back on my very literal grind – this ax that I sharpen and swing from time to time against the malignant growths on Hip Hop.  My goal in writing these entries over the past six years has been to fight fire with fire.  To creatively use the same art of expression within Hip […]