Be it voluntary or by force, each day brings more and more talk of some of our favorite (and not so favorite) rappers retiring. Lately, there’s been talk of Jay-Z, DMX, Nas, Andre 3000 and JaRule all retiring. What was once and sometimes still is a ploy to elicit interest in an upcoming project, the […]
The Fifth Circuit, one of the most conservative federal courts, has the largest percentage of minorities of any federal circuit court in the country and has issued many extreme anti-civil rights rulings. The Fifth Circuit needs a judge who will have a moderating influence on the court and who will support vigorous enforcement of civil […]
Hollywood has become the main objective of the American desire. It contains all of the ingredients necessary for a storybook lifestyle: money, fame, power, and the like. But, most recipes are never perfect. A pinch of this or a touch of that is usually the key to win over a hungry crowd. That extra ingredient, […]
Dear Andre 3000, I always had a feeling that this day would come. I saw it coming ever since you and Big Boi dropped the ATLiens album. At The Source Awards back in 1995 when you told the unruly New York crowd “I’m tired of closed minded people”. When you had on the military jacket […]
The debate comes up time and time again. Why vote? Nothing seems to matter, and politics are corrupt. Besides, our voices don’t make a difference anyway, right? Wrong. Our voices absolutely make a difference, and they are needed more than ever right now. Aside from the fact that people died during the Civil Rights Era […]
The death of Matthew Hall has been widely publicized lately by the media circuits here in New York and there have been numerous despicable assertions, which are trying tarnish his legacy. He was a good friend to me so please read this first if you will write a news article about him. If you are […]
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? This is the question faced by the current hip hop artist. As defined by Cheryl L. Keyes, the author of the book Rap Music and Street Consciousness, "Hip Hop is an urban youth arts movement comprised of graffiti, emceeing, disc […]
Ok, I don’t know how many of you are sick of people trying to destroy our culture and/or the feelings within the hip-hop community. But the one thing I can’t stand is when someone who doesn’t understand, know or want to know what the culture is about, spews ignorant statements towards a positive group of […]
“dead prez means dead the fu**ing president” This ominous message greets visitors that venture to socially conscious hip-hop artist Dead Prez (DP)’s official web site. However, with all forms of music it takes more than strong statements to entice listeners to hear the message being conveyed. But after moving 400,000 units of their debut album […]
I have never been moved to write to your site before – but having read this open letter I felt the urge. I am a Hip-Hop fan also and have been listening to the music for about as long as you. I can remember when beats DIDN’T all sound the same, when there wasn’t an […]
An Open Letter To DJ Premier As a fan of Hip-Hop for the better part of 15 years, I feel as if I have some say-so in how this art form should be portrayed. I feel that image has become grossly overrated, monotony has taken the place of artistry, and the voice of reason has […]
“Can’t I live my life/ without ’em treatin’ every brother like me, like I’m holdin’ a knife?” – Public Enemy, “War at 33 and 1/3” The other evening I was scouring the Internet looking for quotes to inspire my son for his judo class. I came across a very cool Eastern tale I want to […]
The emergence of Hip Hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons as an establishment-endorsed political leader of the new generation of Blacks gives me pause. Being a member of this new generation, I think this should be put on the table for discussion. Why have mainstream media’s political pundits given Russell Simmons an open mic? He’s a guest […]
Forget Michael Jackson–the face of hip-hop has changed more dramatically within the last three years than MJ’s reconstructed front piece has in the last three decades. And kinda like Mike, the change hasn’t been all for the better. Once upon a time, the only thing a Black kid from the ‘hood was able to successfully […]
When Barry White’s essence left this earth on the morning of July 4th, a large chunk of music history was lost. Not just R&B, Soul or whatever you feel like calling it. All music. His contributions to R&B music are common knowledge, but sadly many a hip-hop head is unaware of the influence Barry White […]
I spend a lot of time during my day reading Hip-Hop articles and listening to what a lot of these rappers have to say. In my short stint as a writer for this website, I have also been privileged to learn about different unknown aspects of the game. In my talking to various personalities and […]
Well now folks, the summer season is really in full swing. The BBQ’s are all sparked up, the coolers are packed with ice and whatever your favorite “drank” is. But what would summer be without a great murderous anthem like southern rapper Bone Crusher’s “Never Scared”? Let’s look at the lyrics and see what kind […]
The Tupac Shakur that I knew was a family member, a cousin to be specific. He wasn’t a rapper, actor, gangsta or dancer – just the creative cousin of the family. Some of my earliest memories of ‘Pac are of me staying the night on Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore, where he lived. In 1985, him […]
Again, it is not purposeful censorship. It is just that you dont make it to those positions. That includes the left (what is called the left), as well as the right. Unless you have been adequately socialized and trained so that there are some thoughts you just dont have, because if you did have them, […]
I kept my ear to the ground at my station’s (97.9 the BEAT) promo meeting last week. Method Man was coming out on May 29 to battle our listeners in Def Jam Vendetta. I thought to myself "cool, I’ma fall through." I invited my girl Suga since she’s a Meth fanatic. May 29 – Dalla, […]
