9th Wonder, Talib Kweli, and Pharoahe Monch joins forces to form Indie 500

The last couple months the twitter world was going nuts with the #indie 500 hashtag. With little info being let out I felt a 2nd coming of hip hop approaching in this movement. Jamla Records, W.A.R. Media, and Javotti Media, respectively have made a decided effort to combine their immense talents to create Indie 500, a collective — led by 9th, Monch, and Kweli. The collective will not only carry on the tradition of unity set forth by Native Tongues, but to also re-establish the importance of mindfulness in both music and business. The three discussed the movement at Atlanta’s A3C conference.

9th Wonder on the Music

“Indie 500 is a kind of continuation of the Native Tongues sound all the way to the Rawkus sound. Badu, Jill Scott, Slum Village — anywhere that has that texture of sound that feels good with good lyrics — Indie 500 is a continuation of that and a new generation. We’re trying to continue on the tradition of classic — what they like to call ‘traditional’ — hip-hop. Grass roots, deep-rooted hip-hop music.”What do you think?

Pharoahe Monch on the Business:

“We looked at each other and we were like, we should do business together and music together. Not just on the rap side, but on the touring side, the business side and sharing of information. It’s empowering, it’s beautiful, and it’s important for that to be known. To inspire younger generations to not only rap, but to start companies and corporations.”What do you think?

Talib Kweli on the Essence:

“It’s everybody that we’re down with…anybody that has an independent mind state or spirit is Indie 500. It’s important for us, as artists, that we value the art, and we raise the value of art. So we state that we’re independent, that we’re black owned, we’re stating that we have value and you need to pay attention to us.”