When I think about the assassinations of Black Leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and reflect upon the Black Community’s reaction to these tragedies, I’m compelled to question whether the deaths of Biggie and Tupac affected the Hip-Hop Community in the same manner. The length of this comparison begins and ends with […]

With so many visiting and viewing the demise of Hip-Hop in its public hospice, has anyone given any thought to exactly WHO is directly responsible for its ravaged condition? Granted, it’s easy to say that many have contributed to spreading life-threatening poison that have left it in a state of septic shock; I argue that […]

R.I.P. Disco D I gotta take a second to say goodbye to a good friend of mine that was lost last week when he took his life. I’ve seen a lot of reports over the last week about the death of Disco D (Dave Shayman), and it pains me to have to say goodbye to […]

“Now Little Brother gonna break up / Everyday I wake up”… It was almost four years ago to the date. I was interviewing J. Rawls, and shortly before we closed our drab questions and answers, I asked the Lone Catalysts producer what records he was presently feeling. “I can’t stop playing ‘Whatever You Say’ by […]

“If Hip-Hop should die before I’m great I’ma do more than just murder a mixtape” -Chamillionaire (Hip-Hop Murder from Mixtape Messiah II) Whatup everybody? 2007 is already lookin like an interesting year…and a whole lot of signs are starting to pop up to let me know that we just might be near the beginning of […]

There have been and probably will be numerous articles on the January 16, 2007 RIAA raid of the Aphilliates Music Group studio and arrest of my brother Tyree "DJ Drama" Simmons and DJ Don Cannon. There have been and will be numerous articles on what the implications of this raid will not only have on […]

After much internal deliberation, pondering and personal infighting, I have decided that there will be no 2006 Person of the year appointed by illseed. NOBODY. Why? Nothing in 2006 really moved me as an individual. For those that don’t know, I attempt to defy convention in my own little way and the Person of the […]

Hip-Hop consciousness brings a new, fresh meaning to historical moments and events of the past. As millions of people in America and throughout the world prepare to recognize and celebrate the 78th birthday of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important to take note of the relevance of Hip-Hop culture today to […]

Growing up, I loved to hate James Brown. Those were the good ol’ days. See, back then, my father was a James Brown fanatic for all the right reasons. The dark-skinned entertainer was so cool, charismatic, commanding and inspirational to his generation – you know, the olden days. To my fresh, new Hip-Hop generation, he […]

Whatup? Had to double back and let you know what I been up to. I just had one of the best weeks of my life, so without any further ado I’m just gonna get into it. Monday December 4th might go down as one of the days that really changed the course of my career. […]

The Living Legacy of James Brown: A Hip-Hop Tribute Christmas Day 2006 began early with the news of the passing of James Brown, at the age of 73, in Atlanta, Georgia. As the undisputed “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown was a long distance, marathon runner who always led the race in not only being one […]

The Game Unfolds: Since the beginning of time mankind has been faced with one common element that extends into all walks of life. It takes on countless forms and is applicable in any and every facet of our existence. It is the foundation for civilization itself. We find entertainment in it. We develop strategies and […]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" “I come from N***a culture. I say that because every hero I have ever had was called a n***a at some point in their lives!” My father, the other day. I have a comedian friend named James Hannah who has a line of jokes that center on the fact […]

You know I had to hit u wit an exclusive right? Ha Ha! Check out my freestyle from DJ Dub Floyd’s CD "Nightmare On Your Street." Shouts to Dub, I’m gonna be hosting one of the upcoming volumes so when that time comes I’ll definitely let y’all know. ESSO – 4th Quarter Freestyle While I […]

“9/11 is a Joke?!!” With the political climate rising in response to the voice of the people during the mid-term elections, a last minute debacle from John Kerry threatened to potentially thwart voting outcomes with more of his ‘Kerry-smatic’ gift/curse of public speaking. This time though, it wasn’t overwhelming dissertations that Bush exploited as much […]

In the early 90’s there was a female rapper/spoken word poet/Black activist named Sister Souljah. Most people know her for the song she did with Terminator X and Chuck D from Public Enemy called “Buck Whylin’”. WATCH IT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMbD_dFe0aA She made an album many people laughed off, but I thought it was amazing. It was […]

Let me first preface this work by saying that in every industry there are women out there who have experienced sexism and people have turned a deaf ear. In addition, there are women out there who truly do feel that they must use their sexuality to get ahead, because this society is still a sexist […]

What’s poppin,’ people? It’s been pretty crazy since the last time we talked. It started off on Monday October 16th at Diddy’s Black Party (the Press Play release party). Puff is legendary for throwing the meanest parties goin’ back to his days in DC at Howard University, so it felt good to know that I […]

"Yo baby, can’t you see that’s nonsense you watchin’? Look, don’t nobody look like that, nobody even live that, you know what I’m sayin’? You watchin’ garbage, nothin’ but garbage. Straight up garbage. Yo, why don’t you just back up from the TV, read a book or something. Read about yourself, learn your culture, you […]

“Few of us will have the will to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” ROBERT F. KENNEDY “I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the […]