Thursday, August 28, 2014
Problem -Dollaz and Sense Remix Ft. Childish Gambino
The Game- Don't Shoot Ft. Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Diddy, Fabolous, Wale, DJ Khaled, Swizz Beatz, Yo Gotti, Currensy, Problem, King Pharaoh & TGT (Dedication to Mike Brown)
Hip-Hop used to be considered the black CNN. Look at all of the artists who stepped up to voice their opinions on the recent events in Ferguson and around the country. Good day for Hip-Hop.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
ESPN's Bomani Jones Writes Editorial Piece about the "Whitewashing" of Hip Hop
Bomani Jones is one of the most outspoken and forthright ESPN Analyst. Co-host of the show Highly Questionable and a regular guest on Around the Horn is also an unapologetic fan of hip hop. Before emerging on the ESPN scene he was a music columnist for numerous magazines and sites. He went back into music writing with his recent editorial in Playboy properly titled "The Tragedy Of Whitewashing Hip Hop."
This article comes in the wake of the MTV’s Video Music Awards show this past weekend. Jones opens the piece discussing the respective VMA performances of female rappers Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea.
Jones questions why some award shows have been reluctant to give performing duties to Black rappers without having a white counterpart on stage with them.
An example can be seen with Nicki being allowed to open the VMAs, but she was included in a medley with pop singers Jesse J and Ariana Grande. Iggy was tapped to perform her own hit single “Black Widow” featuring Rita Ora.
Jones also points out that the Black rappers slated to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards (except Jay Z hitting the stage with wife Beyoncé) were “backed” by a white artist – Juicy J/Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar/Imagine Dragons. In contrast, Macklemore had his own set.
The editorial piece also speaks about the cultural appropriation of music forms such as Hip Hop, Rock, and Jazz as it gains mainstream notoriety:
"There are few dignified things that America has demonstrated it would rather see a white person do than a black one, if any white person anywhere would be up to the task.
The tragedy stands out, though. Rap, so often decried by so many critics, now only seems as legitimate in the mainstream with white faces in front. For all our talk of how hip hop bridged cultural gaps and helped foster racial reconciliation, it has now begun to look like art from eras we swore we’d moved beyond. What was so new and fresh and had so much potential now looks like everything else, and in the worst ways.
As music critic Stereo Williams has noted, rock never had black, worldwide stars before it became a sensation. There were great artists, but the world wasn’t on a first-name basis with any of them. There was no Run DMC or Public Enemy who introduced the world to the form. Their work was so easily co-opted—and, in some cases, stolen—because they were largely anonymous. Muddy Waters was no legend to most until Mick Jagger said so.
But we’ve had lots of black superstars in rap. We’ve lived long enough to see Jay-Z on the cover of Time, and colleges near and far where professors have found the work of Tupac Shakur to be worthy of academic inquiry. They did not have to wait for the reverence white artists who were influenced by them to give them historical relevance."
This topic of white artists embracing and incorporating Hip Hop imagery and content to capitalize their brand has been brought up from both sides of the coin from numerous artist.
For example, Odd Future artist Earl Sweatshirt expressed that Taylor Swift "shake it off" video was damaging and perpetuates black stereotypes to whites.
On the other hand, there has been members of the hip hop community who embrace artist like Iggy, Macklemore, and countless others.
In a interview with Talib Kweli mentioned that he felt Macklemore has paid his dues to the culture, but said you must acknowledge "White Privilege".
Hip Hop has become an multi-cultural phenomenon having various races and backgrounds part of it, but we can't let cultural vultures do to Hip Hop what they did to other cultures and music forms conceived by Blacks.
Childish Gambino Will Be The Voice Of Spiderman Animated Series
DJ Skee quits FM Radio, Launches DASH Radio
A few weeks ago After years and years in the game, including time at KIIS FM and Hip-Hop Nation, DJ Skee has called it quits... from the radio. In a recent video The Minnesota Reared DJ explains that he is board with the watered down new direction of radio. Growing up as LA kid who listened radio personalities like Julio G, Sway and Tech, and others I commend him for taking a stand. In this video he mentioned new ventures in near future.
A couple days ago DJ Skee anounced his new move. DASH Radio a commercial-free internet-radio platform, backed by big names like Epic Records executive L.A. Reid, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and others.
In a recent interview He explained the platform of this new app.
"A lot of kids think Pandora is radio, but there’s a gross mislabeling that’s happening. Radio was the first social network, the first time people really listened together. And we want to bring that feeling back, but with more freedom than what FM and satellite can offer. Digital radio today is not real radio -- it’s like making a mixtape for your friends. There’s still a time where you just want to listen to curated radio, and we want to be that option."
Available now on Apple iOS, Google Android and mobile web, DASH kicks off with 50 stations (ranging from Hip Hop and R&B to EDM and Country) and plans to add new stations weekly. Happy listening.
I downloaded the app and love it!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Chuuwee - The Chuuwee Channel EP
Joey Fatts announces collab project with 9th Wonder
Coming off the third chapter of his Chipper Jones mixtape series, Long Beach MC/Producer Joey Fatts and his "Million $ Dreams" reveals to Billboard that he and 9th Wonder have a project in the works.
"I’m dropping a project with 9th Wonder in the next year. Lately, I’ve sat down and been building my sound. I’m going to produce a lot more on my future projects. I’ve been working on a lot of beats for other artists."
"9th gives me good life lessons as a man. He’s someone I look up to, as an established African American man. He’s not looking for all the light. He just loves music and enjoys being able to provide; that’s why I like working with 9th."
Check out his new mixtape Chipper Jones III!
Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is to be used for a College English Course
Hip Hop culture has been seminal to pop culture and all other aspects of life. From our music, films, fashion, and state of being since it's conception. Being raised with the golden era it brings me joy to see Hip Hop being incorporated into academia. I'm proud to see one of my favorite MC's classic albums be put into a curriculum.
Kendrick Lamar's Noteworthy good kid, m.A.A.d city is now a subject of discussion in an English course at Georgia Regents University in Augusta.
The class' instructor, Adam Diehl, spoke to XXL about incorporating the album into his lectures.
“I was given the opportunity to create my own theme for the class,” Diehl says. “I decided to center the class on good kid, m.A.A.d city because I think Kendrick Lamar is the James Joyce of hip-hop–i.e. in the complexity of his storytelling, in his knowledge of the canon, and in his continuing focus on the city of his upbringing—Compton.”
He continued, “The course is a freshman composition course, so I am teaching these works (i.e. [James Joyce's] A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Gwendolyn Brooks’ Selected Poems, James Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man, Boyz N The Hood, and good kid, m.A.A.d city) in the context of writing a research paper about one of the issues involved in the texts (e.g. gang warfare, police brutality, racism, incarceration rates, human trafficking, etc.). The class will hopefully produce much discussion about the issues that Joyce/Baldwin/Brooks/Singleton/Lamar raise, and hopefully the content of the class will inspire students to find an outlet to bring some sanity to our own mad city–Augusta.”
This is great news coming in addition to having an short film debut at the Sundance NEXT Fest a few weeks ago.
Who said you couldn't learn anything from hip hop these days.
Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) sign to Nas' Mass Appeal Records
Nas' Mass Appeal Records has signed Run The Jewels to a deal. The rap duo joins the roster with fellow artist Fashawn, Boldy James, and Bishop Nehru.
Recently, Nas spoke about his plans for Mass Appeal Records.
"I'm excited to be a part of creating and supporting future careers and legacy artists, promoting love and finding new genius to help the world," Nas told Billboard earlier this year. "I'm going to be as involved as I need to be, but I also want to be respectful of the art and give artists the space they need to grow and become themselves."
Check out their newest single "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1" which will appear on El-P and Killer Mike's upcoming Run The Jewels 2 album dropping October 28.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Lauryn Hill -Black Rage
The queen Ms. Hill puts out an acoustic version of "Black Rage" in dedication to the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson. This song was performed in 2012 but is given to us as a soundtrack to the fight nation wide.
Please enjoy!
Kaleidescope Dope: Jey Ahr
Kaleidescope Dope: Meet Ripley Snell
For some of you who don't know I moved Portland, Oregon to find more opportunities and I love it so far. I love the city, the people are nice, and the food truck game (FUHD) is something crazy, But there was something missing though, BLACK PEOPLE. This is due to the history of gentrification (nearly 10,000 People of color, mostly black pushed out), turning it into a utopia for Mom and pops stores and retro/hipster shops. I come to find out Portland is the Whitest city in America. With that slight dilemma, I was on a quest to find my brothers and sister. Being on the bus and traveling around the city I spotted a few specks of pepper in a sea of salt.
After being frustrated in the lack of diversity, my roommate (A white buddy from Chico)introduced to the Black Portlanders facebook page (S/O to Inistar Abioto). The name is self-explanatory, but it is much more than a bunch of black folks located in portland all in a facebook group. It is a photographic journey across Portland and beyond that tells our story. And this where I found the music of MC Ripley Snell.
The 25-year-old rapper is more than a musician, he has an entrepreneur sense to him. He has been on his grind with clothing lines and collaborating with Indie-rap duo Safeword (Cruel Summer), and Dual Mode. The Chico, CA product has been rocking in Portland for almost a decade. His music has a great blend of nice melodic flow over a blend of jazz influenced, boom bap, and trippy beats.
His social commentary is very candid and necessary for hip-hop. He touches on topics such as living in Portland, Homelessness, racism, among other things. On his latest EP, 6 Natural Flavors he doesn't shy away from his social critiques with a melodic twist. Unlike most music out I thoroughly enjoyed the entire project. On my favorite track “Caramel Colors” he uses the term “gentri-fried chicken" and express feeling isolated from the Portland Spirit (Portland motto "Keep Portland Weird")because of his style. It's always great to find good music and this is one of the good finds.
Check out Ripley Snell's 6 Natural Flavors.
Flying Lotus on Kendrick Lamar: He took all my beats
Los Angeles-based producer Flying Lotus' upcoming album, You're Dead, is set to feature Kendrick Lamar. Just having the thought of K. Dot rocking over the abstract sounds of FlyLo is enough to get excited about.
During an interview with Pitchfork, Flying Lotus explained that Kendrick second feature on the LP that was removed for "political reasons". He also noted that Kendrick also recorded over 10+ other beats (mainly ones set aside for Captain Murphy)
"We've been working on stuff together. I went on tour and he recorded to a bunch of my songs. I don't know if he's gonna use them or not, but he recorded a bunch of stuff, which is why there's no Captain Murphy album out yet. He took all my beats!"
But, where are these tracks gonna end up?
"At this point, I don't even know! But he took, like, 12, 13 of my tracks, man. I think he recorded all of them, too. I just don't know if they're ever gonna see the light of day."
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Legendary producer Nottz joins 9th Wonder's The Soul Council production team
The legendary Virginia producer who got his start with Rawkus Records compilation Lyricist Lounge, Vol 1. back in 1998. his legacy range from big names like Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Game to Underground cats like Bishop Lamont and Blu. Regarded by 9th Wonder as one of those best beat makers ever, Nottz will join It's a Wonderful World Music Group (IWWMG).The Soul Council consists of in home producers Khrysis, E. Jones, Fatin "10" Horton, Ka$h Don't Make Beats, AMP, Eric G., & 9th Wonder himself. Be on the look out for some dopeness.
Check out his compilation with productions by him and friends.
G-Unit Aww Shit!!! (addressing Michael Brown Shooting)
Seems as if J.Cole isn't the only one with an opinion on recent events. Check out G-Units take on recent matters and tell us what you think.
Monday, August 18, 2014
The Floacist- Feel Good (video)
One half of the new legendary duo of Floety. On her 3rd solo project The Floasist brings in a new jam chek her out and get that Rise Of The Phoenix Mermaid
KaleidoscopeDope: GQ MArley- DREAM II: Revenge of the NERD
Through our submissions we are proud to present GQ Marley coming out of San Antonio Texas. His project was very solid and had a lot of dope cuts. Be on the look out for more moves coming from this young spitter. LISTEN< DOWNLOAD<SUPPORT
Friday, August 15, 2014
J.Cole- Be Free
J. Cole shares his thought about the current events in Ferguson and around the country. It's good to hear artists dive into relevant topics. Way to use your influence.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Mistah F.A.B. -Fatboy Ft. Rick Ross & Glasses Malone
There's Hope: U.S. Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria
Recent U.S. surveillance flights over
northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls
held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and
foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted
from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.
The
surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still
held captive haven't been forced into marriage or sex slavery, as had
been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the
release of prisoners.
The U.S. aerial
imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern
Nigerians who have interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of
Boko Haram's most famous set of captives are getting special treatment,
compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to
have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of
higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those
officials said.
Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan,
who faces re-election in February, is under political pressure to
secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a
prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives, or a prisoner swap.
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards," said Mr. Jonathan's spokesman,
Reuben Abati,
last week in an interview.
In
early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a
group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open field, said two U.S. defense
officials. Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a
different field.
When surveillance
flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence
analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm whether the
two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.
They
also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group
has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe
they are indeed those schoolgirls.
"It's
unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open
space," said one U.S. defense official. "We're assuming they're not a
rock band of hippies out there camping."
A
wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the
girls' release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither
authorized nor discouraged those efforts.
Several
of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader,
Abubakar Shekau,
has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable
hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.
"He
gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be
killed immediately," the adviser said. "If true, it is cheering."
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping hostages for money and political gain.
The
group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians:
Over the past two months, it has been blamed for abducting a German
expatriate, 10 Chinese laborers in nearby Cameroon and the wife of
Cameroon's deputy prime minister.
Boko
Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its
prisoners held in both Nigeria and Cameroon, which was one of the
conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.
Now,
the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of
girls who had been ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction
on the night of April 14. That night, fighters with the Islamist
insurgency—which is opposed to modern education— stormed a boarding
school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams.
Fifty-seven later escaped.
The captivity
of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign,
#BringBackOurGirls, that was joined by notable figures including
Michelle Obama
and Hillary Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort
to get its captives released from crowded Nigerian prisons—a
long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko
Haram's leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner
exchange. "You are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded
gunman, before firing his AK-47 into the air. "We are saying bring back
our men!"
Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom.
Their
rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women—particularly
poor, young, Muslim girls—are valued by a government of mostly wealthy,
elderly, Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.
It
isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former
Nigerian president,
Olusegun Obasanjo,
who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the
girls are likely dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219
missing— appeared in the sole video of the girls that Boko Haram has
ever provided.
Meanwhile, the
international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is
now carrying out just one surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned
aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defense
officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.
Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram's ranks.
In
July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko
Haram fighters broke into their home in the town of Damboa, they each
said in an interview last week. They feared they would be kidnapped.
When
their aunt,
Fatima Abba,
argued on their behalf, the roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents
decided not to kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the
scores of schoolgirls they already have.
"They
are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko
Haram fighters as saying of the schoolgirls. "We don't want them
around."
This article was from the Wall Street Journal
look up original article here: http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-planes-searching-for-boko-haram-abductees-spot-girls-in-nigeria-1407263240
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Pete Rock Tribute Mix: James Brown
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