www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QBpzQ5ilNM

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?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiud-zu0IsM

The continuous disrespect of hip-hop culture is embarrassing and frankly getting a little old.  I mean corny old white people or animals rapping isn’t funny any more neither is a mango pineapple call and response. If these companies want to have an authentic relationship with hip-hop they should try including people within the hip-hop culture in their creative process.

This actually speaks to a larger problem in that we see more black faces (no pun intended…. well maybe a little) in advertising but how many African Americans or individuals of hip-hop culture are in position to make decision within the world of advertising.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say there wasn’t a hip-hop presence in the boardroom when any of these ideas were crafted.  If so they were there primarily for semantics.

So I plead to the advertising world please stop disrespecting my culture with these images.  If you choose to use hip-hop as a medium for your advertisements at least have someone of our culture to edit the final cut.  In truth you are turning the hip-hop community away more than embracing us with this nonsense.  I mean would you guys use a song by the Beatles to sell fried chicken…………didn’t think so

Two of the biggest names in hip-hop, two stages, a thousand diamonds one city on one night.  The two names Jay-Z and Kanye West, the two stages a main stage and a mid crowd platform, the thousand diamonds the thousands in attendance, the city Washington DC the night November 3, 2011.  The hits seemed endless and they both really left a lot of their respective catalogues in my opinion.  Jay and Ye set the tone of the night by starting off from different stages going H.A.M literally.  Jay dressed in all black everything as was Ye even a black leather kilt ( no Roddy Piper).  Both exchanged major hits like Ali vs Fraizer (RIP) back and forth for at least 2 hours straight.  No opening acts no special guests just two emcees versuses the beats versues the beats.  I must admit this will be one of my shortest and least creative posts because words cant describe this show…and the finale “Niggas in Paris” 3 times straight (no bullshyt) then “Encore” yeah it was that kinda night………

Consumers loved him competitors feared him and record execs probably secretly hated him.   But Steve Jobs has had more influence on the business of music than any other single individual.  Under Jobs Apple made it easier to produce, record and distribute music than any other entity.  This holds especially true for independent artists even more for independent hip-hop artists. The technology engineered over the last 10 years or so have enabled independent hip-hop artists to skip major record companies and produce their own music and distribute it directly to consumers via blogs, user friendly file sharing sites and live streams.  While Apple did not create all of these mediums their presence influenced other tech companies innovations.   In years past artists would have to rely on resources only afforded by major recording companies to record music with CD quality.  Due to major advances in technologies artists such as the alternative/rock group The Gorillaz have been able to produce and record their WHOLE ALBUM on the IPad (I know right).   It’s nearly impossible to walk into a recording studio that does not have technology such as Logic Studio, or Garage Band.  Even today’s “DJs” (even though real DJs still use vinyl) take advantage of Apple technology such as DJAY 3.  And to date ITUNES distributes more music than any major music retailer.  With all that being said Steve Jobs and Apple should be thanked for liberating independent artists from the crutch of needing major recording companies to produce quality music.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsgfp0uaQSI

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). As I sit back and think on Pac the activist and revolutionary I think of what Pac’s reaction would’ve been to some of the major events that have affected our people since his demise. How would Pac react to: The Jena 6, Hurricane Katrina, September 11, Barak Obama’s Election, Fox News (lol) etc….  I would also love to see Pac’s reaction to the state of hip-hop and some of the clowns major players in it.  How would Pac receive: Kanye, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross (think I know the answer to that one), the Ja Rule years etc… The unfortunate truth is that we will never know.  I look at hip-hop right now and we need leadership BAD since Pac left there has been avoid rather a voice for hip-hop outside of music.  So on this day sip a little Hennessy dust off All Eyez on me and reflect on one of hip-hop’s greatest champions and warriors….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl6Hf8ryLkM

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?

Advances in technology and an overall dumb-ing down of hip-hop have led to the oversaturation of the hip-hop marketplace.  In no way am I attempting to discourage anyone from following there dreams or materializing their passion for music but…….Its seems as though paying dues or establishing credibility just to have your name mentioned is totally a thing of the past.   Hip-Hop has always been a high volume genre in regards to new content and since hip-hop is the new get rich quick scheme the volume has gone into overdrive.

Again every hour on the hour my scouring brings me to discover 5-10 rappers that didn’t seem to exist a few hours prior.  Some good some decent but most become irrelevant by the next hour.  Not really sure if this is due to their lack of skills or my lack of attention span.  Full disclosure many times I may not give new rappers enough listens to actually  catch my attention but with so many how could any of us give enough listens.  So is it me or are there too many rappers out there to keep up with??????

For those of you hitting me up asking why no posts lately….This is the reason I’m working on promoting my first show and its taking 110% out of me…So bear with me and I will get back to blogging soooooon….In the mean time if you are in the DMV area come out and support the show click here for tickets…. Industry Rule 1080

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TldUEViX36c

11 All Black Everything

You know when you have a long work week and friday comes and you hit the happy hour spot or you get to the crib, and you take a sip of that first drink.  You know how that first sip just hits the spot and you just have that moment of clarity that feels sooooo good.  Thats how I feel when I get some new Lupe.  Shouts to Okayplayer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFbfAT02hSQ

(Redman & Keith Murray Freestyle

Remember when mixtape DJ’s used to actually mix (I’ll give you a minute)………….Yeah its been a while I know but pre-DJ Clue mixtape DJing was an art.  Scratches, cuts, blends,beat juggling and transforming unfortunately are foreign concepts to todays “DJs” but in my golden age of hip-hop 92-98 they were common place on mixtapes.  Mixtapes were the way that DJs built there names in the streets and eventually that would drive them into the clubs some lucky enough to get on radio. Funkmaster Flex was one that found success on all 3 levels and had become and still is the cornerstone of Hot 97 and a fixture at the NYC hip-hop club The Tunnel.  In 1995 Flex took his game to a whole new level by releasing “The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: 60 Minutes of Funk” the first ever commercially released mixtape.  Flex had combined classic mixing with exclusive freestyles by the likes of The Fugees, Redman, Keith Murray, Method Man, Fat Joe, Big Pun, Busta Rhymes, KRS ONE etc…And what makes this album sooooo hip-hop is that you can actually hear the cross-fader hitting and the switches clicking when Flex mixes. Up and coming DJs this is your Bible. So I present to you A Lost Classic “FunkMaster Flex 60 Minutes of Funk: Volume 1.”

]]> http://www.dabestofs.com/2011/02/13/lost-classic-funkmaster-flex-the-mix-tape-60-minutes-of-funk-volume-1/feed/ 4 http://www.dabestofs.com/2011/02/10/book-club-banksy-wall-and-piece/ http://www.dabestofs.com/2011/02/10/book-club-banksy-wall-and-piece/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:17:06 +0000 Mogul http://www.dabestofs.com/?p=348

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There has been a rebirth in one of hip-hop’s original elements over the last few years.  This movement has been spawned by artists clothed in black hoodies that operate in the shadows of many cities around the world. The art of graffiti which has been bastardized into “street art” has recently been reinvented by a noble army of international artists.  The darkest star in this graffiti renaissance is UK artist Banksy.  The book “Wall and Piece” explores some of Banksy’s best graffiti works along with some of his best studio work.  Banksy the individual and his work were the subject of the cult classic documentary “Exit Through The Gift Shop”.  The book Wall and Piece is a must study for graffiti artists not only for the artwork itself but for the philosophy behind the work as well.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPIGMfYpCWU

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