DA BEST OF

What has AFLAC done to my culture??? Not since MC Hammer danced for chicken in a KFC advertisement have I felt my culture so disrespected through advertising.  Beat boxing frogs, a duck spinning lily pads like turntables, a worm doing the “worm” and a Flavor Flav esque pigeon.  Not to mention the ad that preceded it in which a duck and a pigeon have a break dance battle (which I tried to ignore).   Who exactly thought that this ad was a good idea for one or appealing?  And who exactly was this ad geared towards? Read more…

On this day in 1996 Lesane Parish Crooks a.k.a Tupac Shakur a.k.a 2 Pac left this earth (allegedly).  Controversy, poet, revolutionary, MC, actor, prophet, role model (fuck what anybody else says), genius 2 Pac was all of these things.  Pac brought a divine insight to this thing we call hip-hop. Son of Black Panther, raised by the streets, Baltimore School of the Arts attendee Pac was raised in a complexity that would define his life and his music. An interesting thing happened in the wake of the passing of both 2 Pac and Biggie…hip-hop matured for a brief moment in time thus making them martyrs of sorts.  Since then it seems we have lost that maturity that Pac always strived for us as a people to achieve (minus the Death Row years). Read more…

My addiction to hip-hop leads me to scour blogs and hip-hop news sites for new material on a daily basis like many of you.  Every day just like you I come across new content (music, videos, interviews, trailers) from new names pretty much every hour on the hour.  To be completely honest 80%-90% of which is totally disposable in my humble opinion (no O’Riley).  This on going frustration has led me to ask the following question: Are there too many rappers? Read more…

Her beats is bangin, her hooks did it, her lyrics hitting, her timeless look did it, there’s a certain feel to her music I hope yall get it.  She is an ageless goddess and Hip-Hop’s favorites mistress Ms. Sade Adu.  Sade delivers painfully savvy lyrics of heartbreak with a voice as smooth as Glenlivet and ginger ale.  Lyrically like many hip-hop artists Sade penned verses of her inner struggles and insecurities in songs such as “King of Sorrow”.

Previously #10 #9 #8

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In my endless pursuit to be as anti-MTV as possible, I had to go out of my way to be the antichrist to their now annual flagship Hip-Hop feature.  The Hottest MCs In The Game list was recently released and heavily debated.  One thing MTV never fails to do is confuse Hot with Good.  This years lists reads like the Miami Heat’s roster 3 stars and a bunch of garbage men (no Danny Manning).  So in an effort to vent my annual disappointment with the list I racked my satirical brain to come up with some kind of list of my own.  So I came up with “The Top 10 Greatest Unofficial Official Hip Hop Artist of All Time.” A list of artists that are non-rappers who carried the style, attitude and sound of Hip-Hop throughout the history of black music.  Over the next 10 days I will countdown to the #1 greatest unofficial official hip-hop artist ever.  So get your popcorn ready (no T.O.) and enjoy the history lesson

Let’s face in hip – hop has become commercial and it has been for some time now. The question is who has earned the right? At what point are we as the hip – hop community ok with certain artist or any artist using their position in hip – hop for commercial appeal? More and more hip – hop artist are being called upon on for in terms of marketing deals and commercials. Some artists are exposed to these opportunities due to the machines that back them others earn this right through years of paying dues. A “machined” artist typically gains these opportunities as apart of some marketing and promotions scheme and seldom has anything to do with their music or fan base. Where as an established artist gains these opportunities by being tied into their fan base by gaining respect for their craft and credibility. Which brings me to this Rick Ross Nike commercial. Full disclosure I do like some of Rick Ross’s music BMF certified summer banger. But end of the day dude is a documented fraud. Hey truth is truth. This issue is bigger than Ross’s but this Nike commercial kind of birthed this topic for me.

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Pain is the one universal emotion all human beings feel at some point of their existence.  For so many years pain has been the foundation or underline circumstance for the greatness of hip-hop.  It’s a necessary evil of sorts.  The most revered MC’s in hip-hop have been able to tap into this emotion and obtain the undying love and admiration of hip-hop fans.  The likes of 2 Pac & DMX were driven by this emotion and that driving force was their gift and curse.  The gift was that MC’s of their elk brought substance to the music and the curse was that it was also the foundation of their downfalls.  In today’s hip hop landscape it seems as though everybody has the six-figure car, iced jewels and life is all-good.  But it is all without substance.  There are very few records and even fewer albums that true hip-hop fans can feel and relate to due to this lack of substance.  There are a few new hip-hop artists such as Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco and others who are attempting to bring substance back into hip-hop but do not share the same fan fare of their more glossy counterparts.  I miss not being able to find music to zone out and relate too am I alone?