Tag: Hip Hop

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Stacy is in town!

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After a really crappy week I was surprised by my old friend and former music producer, Stacy Burkett, who called me out of the blue. He was back in NYC for a few days and was reacquainting himself with NYC. It has been probably five more years since we have been in the same place so it was great to catch up with him. The last time we spoke at length was after he found one of my New York Cine podcast sessions online and heard me discussing our time working on my hip-hop demo over 20 years back.

Truth be told, he needs to move his @$$ back to NYC after so many years on the left coast.

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Happy Birthday to The Microphone Fiend

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Today is the birthday of William Griffith, better known in hip hop circles as Rakim, also known as Rakim Allah, a.k.a. the microphone fiend, a.k.a. the God MC, a.k.a the Greatest MC of ALL TIME in my humble opinion. He is turning 47 today.

Rakim took his name from Sun God RA and the ancient Egyptian kingdom of KIM. He was one of the first MCs to move from simplified verses into a style that blended complex metaphors with internal and multisyllabic rhymes culminating in a laid back delivery. At a time when other contemporaries like LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-DMC. delivered their vocals with screams and force, Rakim defied those conventions by developing a flowing style capable of verbally deconstructing an opponent all while making it seem like he wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

When he released the track “Follow the Leader” and I heard how Continue reading “Happy Birthday to The Microphone Fiend”

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Am I eternal? Or an eternalist?

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As I stop and reflect on the current state of Hip-Hop I cannot help but stop and think about how different the music and culture that I love would be if some of the great artists were still with us. But even though Biggie and the others are gone their presence is still felt among true hip-hop heads. Because while B-Boys may die, Hip Hop lives forever! May the legends rest in peace.

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It ain’t finished yet

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For many years Hip-hop has been held up as the boogie man, by both whites and blacks, as a major contributor to the ills in the African American community. When this has happened I often found myself wondering to what artists and music these detractors were listening.

Hip Hop is one of the few modern day art forms which can reach across cultural and racial lines to inform and inspire. When done correctly it can speak to our youth in a way that few individuals  or other mediums can. It can brutally address societal issues and injustices all while forcing us to take a hard look at our own strengths and weaknesses. With that said, I Continue reading “It ain’t finished yet”

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Thanks Kendrick Lamar… I miss real Hip Hop

I don’t know if it is just a sign of me getting older but when it comes to just the music, I truly don’t understand what passes for hip hop today. Unlike graffiti and breakdancing, it seems as if the musical side of hip hop has fallen and can’t get up. The recent controversy surrounding the whole Kendrick Lamar Control verse has left me shaking my head in disbelief. I honestly did not understand what the fuss was about. Brothers are stating that Lamar’s verse on Control is going to shake up the game. If that is the case then hip hop is in even more of a sad state than I originally believed.

I don’t think Lamar has shook up the game as much as he has taken a page from MCs over 20 years ago. Back when competition was the word of the day. Back when lyrical content was more important Continue reading “Thanks Kendrick Lamar… I miss real Hip Hop”

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I spits hot fiyah!!

As I was doing some backup and maintenance on some of my old computers I came across these old music tracks that I made years ago. You see, back in the days after I graduated from college I had this crazy idea that I wanted to become the next hip hop star. It was more than an idea. I actually spent a great deal of time and money pursuing this goal. I came kind close a couple of times in making it a reality. In fact I might even try Continue reading “I spits hot fiyah!!”