What aspect of Hip Hop came first?

What element of Hip Hop Kulture was expressed first in this modern incarnation? Since, there have always been poets and dancers and painters etc., we understand that Hip Hop expressions are just their modern forms. Superhistorically, Hip Hop cultural elements have always been present in our various cultures, but the modern forms we refer to as Graffiti, Breakin, Emceein, Deejayin, Beatboxin etc. were introduced in their recent form in the 1970’s. By the close of the decade, all of the elements (9) would be known character traits of those who considered themselves Hip Hop. But which elements came first?

We always have been inclined to give utmost respect to the deejay as the motivator behind the Hiphop concept. In that regard we shout out Kool Herc as the prime mover then Bambaataa and Flash, all as Deejays spinning in the Bronx. But who were they spinning for? What were they doing in between jams?

The Teacha KRS ONE, points out in a picture he has of himself and his mother while living on Sedgwick Ave, Bronx,NY in the early 1970’s, a Kool Herc tag on the wall in the background, evidence that Herc was also a graffiti writer to some degree. Noted Bronx graf writer Phase 2 points out, that graf writin was coming out of Manhattan as early as 1969 into the Bronx to influence him.

Another aspect of Kool Herc galvanizing the atmosphere in an organized manner thru the jams was the concept of what Herc calls the merry-go-round. This element of Deejayin where just the instrumental breaks would be played back to back was used to get the b-boys and b-girls excited. So obviously dancers were already freestyle rockin’ dances before Herc began to deejay for everyone. Here we see evidence of B-Boyin.

In orthodox Hiphop (consciousness) we speak of 9 Elements. The last four elements are specifically influenced by the urban environment; Street Fashion, Street Language, Street Knowledge and Street Entrepreneurialism. Each has a distinct impact and characteristic style that Hip Hop has made obvious to the entire international community. In the early 1970’s however, they were just forming into what we call Hip Hop today. Still, some of the more obvious trends and styles that become identifiable to any given culture usually include fashion. The specific kind of clothing choice also identifies ones peers as they interact. So were there certain Hip Hop fashion trends or slang terminology (language) that influenced the deejay? Probably. Of course knowledge goes hand in hand with language so without getting into the specifics of what Hip Hop Street Knowledge is as a cultural element; suffice it to say that it was probably a part of Kool Herc’s mentality as a deejay.

Emceein, Bambaataa says, can be traced to Cab Calloway, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, The Last Poets and many others before rappers like Coke La Rock started rappin over the breaks at a jam. It can even be argued that Beatboxin was around in the form of body music like playing the spoons or “hambone” an early version of the thigh/chest slapping of step teams. Plus, babies can beatbox intrinsically almost from birth. Then there are more complex styles like scattin’ where artists like Louie Armstrong imitated the sound of horns or other instruments with there voice.  Is Beatboxin just an extension of an earlier style? Was Beatboxin also around before Deejayin? It seems like all the elements of Hip Hop Kulture were present with the exception of Entrepreneurialism and making money specifically off of hip-hop (products).

Why then do we think of the deejay as the first element? It was because the deejay galvanized the elements together in almost a showcase format. The deejay brought people together so we could communicate and relate to one another. The deejay is like the first organizer of the group, and for that, we can in symbolic gesture, honor that place. So this is why we honor Kool Herc as the first deejay in Hip Hop, although even he is not technically the first organizer. There are two people you can say precede Kool DJ Herc as the first organizers of Hip Hop Kulture. One would be Afrika Bambaataa with the Zulu Nation est. in 1973, one year earlier than what we consider the birth of Hip Hop Kulture in 1974. The Zulus were a heavy influence on B-Boys and specific aspects of the culture and may not have however, spoken to all the elements at that time. Then there is Cindy aka Pep, Kool Herc’s sister. She was actually the organizer of the first jams and got her brother (Herc) to spin records for them. These are what we consider Kool Herc’s first jams in Cedar Park. Her legacy remains mostly unheard of by even true participants of the culture. For that reason, at the release of the Gospel of Hip Hop in 2009, Queen Pep and Herc sat a place of honor in front of the audience.

TSU WWC Sundays 102410 – Swiss Hip Hop Day

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WorldStar hates positivity and has a secret agenda

Worldstar Hip Hop reveals its true purpose. As we already know, the gossip and stereotype spreading anti-journalism site has no love for the truth. They exist to profit off the perpetuation of barely true statements and scandalous rumors. But every once in a while they show something positive or critical of the endless negativity such as Lady Luck reciting a heartfelt acapella called “Are We There Yet?” or Supanova Slom criticizing gang activity at a recent conference put on by Hakim Green in Newark, NJ. Both videos received mostly high praise in the comments section except for die-hard haters who frequent the site to criticize everything anonymously or gang members deeply brainwashed by tricknology. 

Worldstar was not satisfied with that however. Just one week later, the geniuses at Worldstar find it necessary to try and destroy any significance those two positive videos created by presenting “contradictory” images of both Supanova Slom and Lady Luck. Why would Worldstar be invested in defaming the only two positive stories they showcased in the last month? That is the big question, because the “contradictory” videos are not even contradictory when taken in context.

To discredit Supanova Slom, WS offered up a music video he did for a love song called “Midnite”. Slom is pictured with his shirt off singing/rapping in a tone reminiscent of Prince, to a female. On its face, this looks like homage to Prince done by someone who is a fan of his music, nothing more. Yes the singing is somewhat effeminate but anyone who knows Slom, knows that he is an eccentric performer. He is known to wear wild outfits, is heavily tattooed and tries to create unique shows mixing multiple music genres. And with the way he carries himself in everyday life on the streets of NYC, you would not think he was gay despite the insinuation of most comments posted on this video.

To counter the positive message Lady Luck released as the intro to her new CD, WS posted a video titled - Lady Luck (Feat. Babs Bunny) - Runaway (Luck Gets Her Booti Slapped on Camera). In the video Luck is pictured looking very feminine in tight spandex pants and glossy make-up at a backyard bbq, playing wiffel ball and dancing. At one point a guy grabs Luck on the behind and shakes her thigh as she sits across his lap. She laughs, as the scene goes by in less than 2 seconds and the dancing and frolicking continues in this light-hearted, inoffensive rap tune. What is the big controversy? As I stated in my last blog, Lady Luck is an attractive female who often dresses down (more masculine), which is a testament to her desire to be taken seriously as a lyricist. Some question her sexuality and ask if she’s a lesbian which seems completely irrelevant to these two songs though.

What is the relevance of posting these two attempts at controversy? Well, to do just that, create fake controversy. There is nothing wrong with either of the songs, unless you don’t like that style of music. WS called the Slom video - Supa Nova Slom (Blood Crip Who Was Speaking Truth At A HipHop Community Call) - Midnite [R&B Unsigned Hype] taking care to contrast this “less-masculine” video with the statements Slom made. To generate views and comments WS is in the business of creating “news” and controversy. For positive stories the only reaction is to go negative. WS has shown over and over that they have no love for anything positive and will denigrate and defame anyone who tries to portray it, with slanderous insinuations. WS not only thrives on negative images, racial slurs, ignorant behavior and the promotion of criminal activity, but they create negativity out of positivity. They actively try to turn something positive for the community into something its viewers should question. For all the videos of fake gangstas rapping murder, death and drug dealing does WS show a rebuttal video of them at home with their kids playing? No, they don’t. They let all those videos ride without critique. On the internet I looked for info on WorldStar, which is not Hip Hop but a mockery of it, and found very little info. You would think that with all the accusations of illuminati ties to so many rappers, someone would have looked at WS. I mean, what or who would possibly be behind such a low-life agenda of feeding misinformation and divisiveness to the world on a daily basis?

I did find some interesting clips on YouTube though. Only one highlighted Lee ‘Q’ O’Denat the supposed owner of WS himself. The content of what he was saying was questionable to say the least. But it may provide some insight into one of the reasons there is such a slant on homosexuality and sex in general on the site. Don’t get me wrong I obviously look at the site as a person interested to some degree in the lives of celebrities and what is supposedly hot in music today. I just hope for the day when someone creates a site with more integrity, common sense, and love for real Hip Hop. VladTV and AllHipHop.com are not as bad just a little stale at this point from being around so long. Thisis50.com has a unique platform and set of followers but comes off biased toward certain artists at the end of the day. So the point is to find better, reliable, more trustworthy sources. Do you have any suggestions?

Kurt Nice, HipHopLives.net/Examiner.com & NJ Emcee, Lady Luck

Lady Luck asks if we are there yet?

Finally a female emcee shines a ray of hope in the vast emptiness of rap music from the woman's perspective. Although it’s just an intro, Lady Luck’s acapella verse hits hard mentally and resonates clearly. It asks the question “Are we there yet?” It analyzes the journey of so-called Black people in this country through some sharp criticism of today’s generations. Not just a critique of the young, but there parents too; Luck goes in like a modern day version of the Message and talks about where we are and where we have been as people.

Some of her best lines include:

“Obama said change, we getting tired of waiting…my people got the highest drop out rate in the nation. Forty years ago we were dying for education….We were lynched, beatin and murdered, marched for civil rights, just for us to grow up and have no value of life…an epidemic, no more truth, it’s all gimmick….spiritually broken women given birth to the same children….men wit they whole ass out like a dancer, I drive thru the hood screaming at kids pull ya damn pants up….so far from the slave ship to be in the 21^st century and still thinking on some slave shit….Luck you getting too deep, spit some ignorant shit already, we don’t want to listen to hip-hop wit a dictionary….rappers claim they had to dumb down to sell records. Well look around, everybody’s dumb now…..combined we can’t figure out the plan yet, came a long way, just wanna know are we there yet?”

Visually the poem is shot simply with Luck alone on the bus and walking through downtown as she recites her bars or in profile thinking, all in black and white. No wild colors and weird sets. No fancy cars, concert jewelry or crazy outfits either. Instead we get, Lady Luck with a fitted, a hoodie and some jeans and very little makeup, if any. Imagine that. No colored wigs and booty shorts. And wait, natural beauty. No augmentation, accentuation or layers of make-up. Well, that’s refreshing. Who would have thought in the era of Nicki Minaj that a female rapper could do a video without all the extras. That stance on beauty may be one of the strongest statements Lady Luck makes with the video. Although, if glossed up and put in some sexy clothes Luck does look amazing, she proves that looks don’t have to sell rhymes if you’re a female. Still, on the underground tip there may be a beauty scale bias judging from the response to females like Jean Grae and Bahamadia both highly skilled yet ignored and possibly not as pretty.

Judging from the response, what Luck is spittin in the verse is being overwhelming received with 99% positive comments on a site like Worldstar. Maybe it’s because she has tapped into what the Hip Hop audience has been craving from a female emcee, real lyricism and depth. Maybe people are slightly more receptive because she’s attractive. So what, as long as people stop to listen and think about what is said, I’m for it. Brothers like Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Common, and many others constantly kick knowledge but don’t get a second look. If it takes females to resurrect the consciousness in rap, I’m all for it. We need many more women who aren’t “spiritually broken, giving birth to the same (kind of) children.” Plus men follow women for the most part anyway. If more women in general were how Luck speaks and acts in this song, rather than how Nicki Minaj portrays herself, wouldn’t we be there already.

So many of the statements Lady Luck makes in this short verse are powerful enough to stand on their own in such a profound way that it’s better that it is not a song-chorus format. In this way, it is much more powerful and introspective. The listener has to ponder on the statements made and can’t be distracted by a beat. If Luck could figure out how to make at least four hot conscious tunes on her album, she may see a serious spike in her sales, judging again from the Worldstar audience feedback. It was nice to see such a desire for a real, lyrical message in a place that dwells on gossip, buffoonery, and the lowest stereotypes put on video. Much respect to Lady Luck for putting this one out. It was definitely a good move.

p.s. I’m glad she doesn’t look like Precious though, cause nobody would have watched it.

 watch video here

Should Lil Wayne be in solitary confinement for IPod headphones?

To most True School Hip Hop music lovers, Lil Wayne is not on the top of the list. In fact, he is no where near it. He represents the pop sound and style over substance brand of rap that make classic Hip Hop fans cringe. While he seems to draw a random and misguided creativity out of his drug induced fog, which at times seems almost acceptable, he more often sounds like a babbling, crazy person. If Lil Wayne was 50 years old standing on a corner reciting the same lines he says in his rhymes, he would sound more like 50Tyson than Jay-Z. And 50Tyson has autism, if you don't already know. With that in mind, understand that I have no love for Lil Wayne or his music and basically wrote off his latest brush with the law as "he brought it on himself." I mean, he should already know he is a target being who he is, a rich rapper from the hood. So, to to get caught with illegal weapons on his tour bus doesn't garner much sympathy.

His latest news comes to us from behind bars at Rikers Island correctional facility in NY. It seems that Wayne was caught hiding a pair of unsanctioned headphones stashed inside a potato chip bag in his cell. Although headphones bought at the jail commissary are allowed, his higher end brand was not. For this infraction he is being given solitary confinement for the last 30 days of his 8 month sentence. This means he will be confined to his cell for 23 hours a day and permitted only one call to the outside per week. In light of the preferential treatment most celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton get, this does come off as harsh. Although his charge involved a weapon, this infraction unlike a failed drug test, has nothing to do with the original crime. He is after all a performer who must earn a living after his sentence is over, so to have a job aid in prison is almost like work release. If the effort is to rehabilitate him, this type of punishment could be very counterproductive. To be locked away, unable to move freely in such confinement, after the jet-set lifestyle Wayne has lead must be a harsh reality to face. To have made a living as the center of attention on stages in front of thousands of people only to be forced into a room by himself with no phone, no personal contact, and none of his usual coping mechanisms like drugs or alcohol must be torture.

For whatever reason, it seems that Lil Wayne has been targeted for some type of programming. The question is what message are those in charge trying to send? Are they sending a message to the larger community who follow Lil Wayne's music? Or are they trying to manipulate Lil Wayne specifically to affect how he makes music in the future? These questions only came to me after I watched the topic discussed on The Young Turks this week. Watching their take on the situation drew some empathy for Wayne's situation that I had not previously had. Now I feel there might be something deeper at work here. What do you think?

Iron Solomon vs. E Ness of Bad Boy, Making Da Band fame

At a rap battle that took place on the Memorial Day Weekend in September of 2010, in Miami called Grizzlemania 2. Here, two underground veterans took to the middle of the cypher and squared off with words. The battle was actually pivotal in the realm of battle rapping as it pitted so-called “street-rap” against undaground emceein.  Representing street rap was E Ness, a Badboy artist brought to fame on the MTV Making Da Band series in which prospective members had to walk to Brooklyn to get Puffy a slice of cheesecake. For Hip Hop, the undaground emcee was Svengali brother and End of the Weak-NYC showcase regular, Iron Solomon. As the battle surfaced on Worldstar Hip Hop, a significant buzz blew up around the footage on YouTube which reached around 250,000 views in about 3 weeks. There are two basic opinions that spoke to the outcome. The first was posted in favor of E Ness as the winner. The second one, I posted, the next day explaining how Iron Solomon won. Watch the video here, comment and subscribe. You can also check out part 2 on the Legends and Emcee Battles post.

What if there were rappers that could rap conscious political rhymes and were White guys?

RE: Jay Solli video response

As a gradual segue from the last article about political rap from a Black perspective, I wanted to relate something spoken about on Worldwide Cypher Sundays recently. An artist posted a video response to one shadesradio uploaded from KRS ONE about Hip Hop and religion. The artist posted a rhyme of course, which he felt presented a “political point of view which is similar to KRS-ONE, Public Enemy, Immortal Technique and Dead Prez.” The emcee’s name is Jay Solli or Jay Bonisolli an average looking 22 year-old white kid with longish hair. He fits more of a California-vegan, free-thinker image than a rapper but he has wicked skills on the mic and he’s probably from Texas. His freestyle game is up, and when he spits his political, written verses, he’s at his best. So in relation to the Black August  topic of the last article there could be political rappers who support the promotion of politically-aware music about the United States that aren’t minorities.

Is Conscious Rap Viable?

As a feature artist on the shadesradio.com Sunday show, Jay Solli was discussed on the topic of “what if there were ill rappers that were into conscious, political, rhymes and were White guys?” As we already know, there have been many relevant and powerful so-called conscious rappers, who have re-shaped the tide of hip hop music in the late 80s and early 90s, including the ones Jay Solli compared himself to. Still, there are many others from the past and currently who haven’t even received the adoration and modest mainstream success of artists like KRS ONE or Dead Prez and Immortal Technique. And in the long history of rap there are no real standout politically conscious White rappers at all. Why is that?

Does Eminem’s Success Relate?

In the heights of mainstream rap music right now, you’ll find the most successful White rapper in the history of Hip Hop, Eminem. As proof , notice that Eminem always somehow gets recognition in any modern top 10 rap poll, where none have ever come before. While many critics admit that he possesses exceptional rhyme skills, they note that he would be overlooked like so many others, if not for his skin color. Since the wide-spread critique about Eminem’s success due to his novelty of being a gifted White rapper seems to have worked in the past, could it be repeated? Would people be impressed by another politically aware rapper spittin rhymes about the government? The conclusion on the shadesradio.com show was yes, if he was a White guy.

Would He Be Accepted?

Having a Caucasian emcee rhyming like Immortal Technique or KRS ONE rather than like Public Enemy the way Zach De La Rocha did with Rage Against the Machine would be a novelty and a success. In today’s politically charged environment, sentiments about the illuminati, the New World Order, corrupt governments and FEMA camps would be widely accepted by Hiphoppas and Tea Party activists alike. Right now, it almost a fad to be against the government, when just a few short years ago during the Bush era it was considered unpatriotic. During that era any political speech against the establishment was frowned upon by the media. Now it is celebrated and highlighted. The season is ripe for a mainstream political artist from Hip Hop, but the Black or Latino revolutionary rapper has been done before. Yet as the fast-food media machine latches onto the next ‘hot new thing’, a conscious White rapper could affect the tide of Hip Hop music.

Conclusion

The conclusion on the Worldwide Cypher internet show was that a White political emcee would breathe new life into the genre. The formula would be to pair a solo artist or group with serious conscious emcees from over the years like a KRS ONE, Technique etc.. Through the associations with and initiations into those circles, an artist with true talent like an Eminem would get exceptional exposure and success for himself and the genre.

What About Jay Solli?

Keep in mind that the subject of this article started with a video submission by Jay Solli. His rhyme style, flow and in-depth knowledge of the topics lead to the discussion about what effect a conscious/political emcee could have on modern hip hop music. In many respects Jay Solli has a lot of the right characteristics and skills to reach that plateau of success.  Part 1 of his video response called “We the People” is raw and skillful and is surpassed only by part 2 of the song called “The Man Behind the Curtain”.  In We the People one ill sequence continues…

“Wall St monsters, Bilderberg evil. Bush and Obama are the people they speak thru. We’re just caught up in, followin’, walking in to our own slaughter, American sheeple. You better wake up or the wolves will eat you. Stalin, Mussolini, Nazi sequel. FEMA death camps where the cops will beat you…” (Jay Solli)

Though his delivery is reminiscent of Eminem, his subject matter is not. To a degree Bonisolli is like a calmer, vegan version of Eminem that rhymes about political topics and can freestyle his off.  As a long-time observer, producer and critic of Hip Hop, I would say that a person like Jay Bonisolli has the best chance of pushing the genre of conscious Hip Hop forward even though there are many emcees who have come before him.  In the female category, only a female like the old Lauryn Hill could resurrect that much interest in the conscious style of True School Hip Hop. But even then the response wouldn’t compare to when it was some average looking White guy with skills like Eminem… Personally, I’m not against it, or anything  that benefits the True Hiphoppa.

Will upcoming Black August celebrations in Newark be racist against white people?

Each year celebrations take place in the form of Hip Hop concerts throughout the nation which commemorate past movements that resisted oppression through white supremacy in the United States. The Nat Turner rebellion (1831), the beginning of The Underground Railroad (1850), the birth of Marcus Garvey (1887) and the March on Washington (1963) all occurred during the month of August. Starting in the early 1970s in California by members of the Black Liberation Movement, commemorative celebrations were held in honor of these historic events. The most public of these celebrations have been sponsored by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in recent times. In today’s environment, where the most talked about form of racism is ‘reverse-racism’ against white men, the Black August concerts may holla reverse-racism! The points of contention may rest on the mission behind holding the events and the audience they’re trying to reach.

The Black August Hip Hop Project, established by MXGM, Stress Magazine and Students for Jericho was created to “support and politicize the culture of our generation and use it to aid the struggle for human rights.”  To this end they have consistently brought together emcees, singers and poets that have more politically charged lyrics like Dead Prez, Eryka Badu, Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Mos Def, Boot Camp Click, Jeru the Damaja, Keith Murray, Black Ice, The Coup, Common Sense, and others. Not unlike current conservative Tea Party movements, these artists speak out against oppression perpetrated by the United States government. In fact sentiments that have been cleverly skilled in rhyme form for years by so-called conscious rappers are being mimicked to a certain degree by those who consider themselves true right wing conservatives. Even though the rhetoric of veterans like Dead Prez goes deeper than the average small government Tea Party activist, upon thoughtful consideration it would be surprisingly easy to find common ground. Another reported goal of Black August is “to link and address issues facing African communities globally like AIDS, poverty, incarceration, and police brutality.”(MXGM)

The points of contention for those who think Black August celebrations are expressions of reverse racism, may scrutinize the target audience of this outreach effort. On their website the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement says that they provide…

“a vehicle for artists and activists to oppose the genocide of African people, white supremacy and its propaganda, the criminalization of youth and youth culture, the advancing global prison industry, and the continued existence of political prisoners in the United States.” (MXGM)

They go on to say that they want “to develop and implement an International Human Rights Campaign using Hip Hop as a tool and common language.” So here it becomes evident that they recognize “that hip-hop is a vital part of youth culture… (and facilitates) exchanges between international communities.”(MXGM)

On these points of contention, unless a person identifies with the so-called ‘oppressor’, they should have no shock at the rhetoric being spit on stage. Also most people who support a cause are not necessarily direct victims themselves of the affliction or oppression. For example what would it be like if only those who had breast cancer, or AIDS, or domestic abuse, were responsible for supporting their movements? How could real change ever occur? Slavery wasn’t ended by slaves alone, but by freed slaves and Abolitionists, Quakers, and others. The Civil Rights movement wasn’t just about African-Americans, but minorities in general and women’s rights as well. Plus, who would be against anyone from one of those communities organizing themselves to fight against their own afflictions?

If you’re one who enjoys True School Hip Hop, you already know Black August concerts are ones where you can get a heavy dosage of conscious Hip Hop, instead of the brain-numbing simplicity from most of today’s popular rappers. If you are into politics, you too may enjoy a lot of the rhythmic articulations created by artists who are more politically aware than the average rapper.

Beyond the idea of supporting the cause, with only three of this year’s performers, you will get your money’s worth. They are NYOIL, Channel Live’s Hakim Green and Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers. Each of these emcees not only has an extensive repertoire of politically powerful verses but also ones which speak to the heart of urban youth. Far from being apologists and excuse makers, NYOIL, Hakim Green and Wise Intelligent shine a harsh mirror at Black youth for some of the circumstances they face. All the while, their mic dexterity, vernacular, flow transitions and delivery make for listening pleasure to a Hiphoppa. Judging by the cultural and generational diversity of the recent Rock Steady Crew anniversary, this year’s event August 21^st at the IYO on South 12^th Street in Newark should be one to grow on as well.

Don't Try To Be A Rap Star

Initially, I intended to give some inspirational words to help emcees further their craft. However, examining the state of Hip Hop and mainstream Rap music, I would have some better advice. Don't try to be a Rap Star. No exclamation points or ALL CAPS needed to convey my point. Don't waste your energy trying to be a Rap Star.

The way everything is now in the business, your chances of success at that are slim to none at best. The most you will probably ever achieve is some hood love, or some internet success. But people buying your music on download in massive numbers will probably never happen. If people are souping you up at talent shows acting like you can get discovered, don't believe the hype. Record companies don't sign artists off of hearing them in a club. You have to at least have, a real internet buzz. Then that still doesn't guarantee anything. Since I've gone on and on about all that before I won't continue that but say instead... If you perform and make mixtapes and post your songs on the internet, do your music for the love. Because chances  are you will never get paid to where you wouldn't need another job to support yourself. You would be lucky to have the exposure to make a living touring and selling music, even a modest, livable wage would be a blessing for most rappers. Chances are you won't even get that. It's not because you don't have enough talent because you may. It's most likely because you will not stumble upon one hit wonder status. That only happens to maybe ten people a year (20 at the most) out of thousands of people with a new hot song. You probably won't have the relentless promotional machine that keeps your material relevant among all the new daily submissions to get noticed by a label, sponsor or distributor. And you'll probably be so bent on making one hit song that you wont concentrate on promoting your body of work, or creating a supportive fan base.

One major drawback to your whole approach is that you're just doin it for yourself. At least most of you seem to be. Most of yall are just out there talkin about yourself, and what you want and what you gonna do to a nigga and how many bitches and look at my whip and me splurggin on shit you wish you could afford and look at me and my swag and look at me i'm so fly wit my clothes on and look at me, look at me. Plus most them other cats in the mainstream already said the same basic shit. If you wanna get off that style of rhymin, think about the fans. What can you tell them to affect their lives? What do you know to connect with somebody that's not slangin dope, shootin niggas and being a slave to the system? Most people in life aren't like that. If you want them to be, you're wishin for a fucked up world.

But all my advice would be, is to do music from the heart for real. From the heart where you connect with another human being and you say some shit that truthfully touches someone listening to it. Do music not expecting to get rich from it, but in spite of the fact that you won't. Do music that speaks to the person listening because you can make music for yourself all day and listen it. But when you make music you want me to hear, make sure it has a meaning in the grand scheme of things. Make sure that it has some relevance to life. If you looked back ten years from now on the music you're doin right now would you be proud of it? If so where are the songs that you did ten years ago or from when you first started? Are they still hot? If you were talented they would be.If you were a for real artist like a Ludacris or Common or Jay or Big Daddy Kane or Treach or even 50 you would be doin the songs people first heard from you and still rockin a crowd with it. Real artists like Redman and Joel Ortiz, Joe Buddens, Ghostface, Mos Def, Murs, Immortal Technique all put thought and energy into creating rhymes that will stand the test of time.

When you do music from the heart for real, you touch on real topics that affect people in a deeper way. People remember where they were when they heard your song. People are inspired but the way you structured a cadence of flipped a verse. A person's life may be added to by what you mean in a song. Mainstream music takes away from the audience. It takes your time and attention on some meaningless bullshit you could have been better off, without. You take away from the audience when you black out on ego trips about yourself. Why should I listen to you at all? There are thousands of artists.tens maybe hundreds of thousands. Why should I listen to you? What will it benefit my life to have heard something you said? As a real artist you should wonder about that question constantly. If you don't care about the audience you know you're on an ego trip. If you don't care about the audience, why should they care about you? But you don't have to take my word for it. You don't have to think about anything  this post implies. You don't have to change anything you doin at all. What was said here might not matter at all. Because no matter how good you  may be, you can't be surprised if you never get to be a Rap Star.   - One, Kurt Nice

Duttch Mastah - Love Power Refinement

In this new single by Jersey native, Duttch Mastah called "Love, Power, Refinement", Duttch touches on two unique aspects of the love song. First he considers love/lust interaction and desire a guy might have for a female when he sees her pass by. Then he explores the love you may have for your people in the neighborhood. While he approaches a familiar topic, he looks at it a slightly different way.

Duttch portrays a more refined image of a woman who he tries to chat with, as he walks down the street or maybe past a bus stop. Instead of the regular round the way girl, he sketches the persona of an elevated sista who says "I'm an Earth upon Earth and gave birth to em all. So don't call me shorty my head stands tall. I'm not gassed by ignorance, so please don't lie. I don't smoke nor drink. Knowledge gets me high." If only more females had this approach is what is really implied by the well-crafted verse. Duttch  goes on to say that the song is "feel good music, dedicated to the people. To the Gods and the Earths, I love my people. To the Bloods and the Crips, I love my people. To the homeless on the strip, I love my people. East, West, North South, I love my people...." And as he continues from the hook, he goes on to address the youth in the street shootin but doesn't preach. He simply says one line "little do they know that gang bang shit pollutin', the beautiful youth. Put an end to recruitin'." From here, Duttch acknowledges the point of view of the youth for the majority of the verse with things like, " I said lets chop it up. What's the story? They ignored me. One of em said OG you bore me." This brings home the major point of the song which is; even though you may not want to hear me, I still love my peoples and I will still, keep tryin to holla at you, and build with you.

We need more songs like this in rotation; songs on some positive vibrations. Rather than having a pop sound, the track is more of an old school classic soul that everybody could relate to. Not a pop sound but a popular sound that reminds you of backyard barbecue. It is a welcome tune among so many self-serving, ego-rant, street-drama inspired tales.

One, Kurt Nice

shadesradio.com

Keys to Success in Hip Hop (pt.1) Originality

I have been planning to write some words of encouragement to the many artists who I have come to know over the years and that I meet daily at events, and on-line. Frequently they ask me the same questions about which direction to go in the business. Not that I can give anyone a record deal (of which there are no good ones left) or a "free collabo" with KRS. Yet the area which I can serve the most good is in advice.

Something I have constantly told the artists I come into personal contact with is; forget getting a record deal and making money. Just make good music. Don’t make music that you think is on the popular trend right now. It’s appeal won’t last. Make music that has some sort of originality, concept and skill to it. Make music that reflects a deep cord within your psyche, something that comes from an insight you have gained. This insight might be something everyone can relate to because they to have felt the same way before or something that makes them think about a new perspective on life. That is the real purpose of music at the end of the day. If you create good music and truly fulfill your purpose as an artist you will be headed in the right direction. How to make money in the business is the subject for another time. Here let’s talk about some of the keys to success, which have already been proven by others.

Originality in and of itself, is one key. Originality suffers in the face of this overabundance of songs and artists, however. In general, there is too much music in the hip-hop(product) genre. Everyone has mixtapes worth of music already laid down. Some have gone so far as to complete one mixtape per month or even one per week for an extended length of time. Some years ago, maybe around 2000 or so, it became the style to say, “ I got like a hundred songs!” Even though when rappers say that to me, I know that they usually don’t mean it literally. They simply want to imply that they are so talented that they have a lot of material. This is not actually a good thing.

First off, to have so many completed songs of which none are worthy of promoting anymore is a testament to your failure as a good artist. If you are so bored with the material you have produced that now you want to move on to something else, what does that say about the quality of the material or you as an advocate of the material? I know production software like Fruity-Loops, in the beginning, on down to Pro-tools now, have made the possibility to create music much easier. That however, is part of the problem. It is easier to create throw away tracks. Back in the day studio time used to cost a lot of money. So the joint you laid down was something you worked on for awhile and perfected before you got to the spot and completed it. That is no longer the case. Anybody can have a studio in their house and produce high-quality sound with no problem. All those tracks you complete that never see the light of day are not really your catalog. They are your practice sessions. Only the songs you produce that you are still willing to spit right now are worthy of being called part of your repertoire or catalog of recorded music. Any artist with a hit is blessed and/or cursed with the duty of performing that song until their significance fades entirely. And even then artists resurface years later to perform that song we remember from back in the day. If songs you created 6 months ago don’t sound good now, they probably never were that good.

Another problem with having a lot of music when you are a new artist is that no one can identify with you because they can’t remember anything you’ve done. You don’t have a signature song. Most artists are identified and can draw a crowd with less than five songs. They may have world-wide appeal and have only two songs that the majority of concert goers have even heard before. Imagine how many times they will end up performing those two songs if they are successful. As an unknown artist do you have a signature song yet? That should be your first mission. Yes do a lot of songs as practice to find your signature song, the song that people recognize you by. But don’t tell me I have hundreds of songs in my catalog. It makes a person like me think that most of them are trash or barely thought out freestyles that sounded good at the time but now seem corny. Anyone can put a catchy phrase or two together but the point is to make that into a full concept for a 3-5 minute, completed piece of art that can stand the test of time. If you want someone that has a radio station to play your music you should not hand them a CD. To me you are saying, “I don’t know which one of these songs is good.” You might think well “everybody likes different stuff.” That is true. There are preferences. However, a good song is a good song to an attuned Hiphoppa. If you hand me a song about baloney sandwiches and it has originality, concept and skills I will play it on shadesradio.com, period. Now I don’t personally prefer baloney sandwiches but I would have to say, “that was a great song about baloney sandwiches.” Biz Markie, back in the day, had a song called “Pickin Boogers”, KRS ONE did a song about vegetarianism called “Beef”. De La Soul did a song called “Oodles of O’s” about the letter O. Immortal Technique did a soliloquy dissing vegetarians called “Beef and Broccoli”. There are an infinite number of subject matters you can cover yet come across as a creative, skilled artist, while you search for your signature song. You might not even be the one who selects your signature song in fact. It may be someone close to you who can step back and characterize how people can best perceive your artistic elements of interest. That’s another reason to have a manager. It could also be crowds who respond in a particular way to a certain song you perform. Still, to force a program director to select your music for you is unprofessional. He or she is now doing your job for you. Plus I don’t want to sift thru your whole CD to find one song I will play. There are too many artists with too many CDs to listen to them all. Give me three songs at most. Remember you are not dope because you have quantity. You are dope because you have quality.

Sincerely, Kurt Nice
– Hip Hop Kultural Specialist for KRS ONE’s Temple of Hip Hop, Founder/Program Director for Shadesradio.com, a BDS tracked 24/7 internet radio station.
http://www.shadesradio.com/CLASSES_2010.html

TSU Review – Homeboy Sandman_ Airwave Air Raid

 Very few independent Hip Hop artists take their craft so seriously that they go all-in on making their career work. This kind of dedication takes a level of commitment and sacrifice that may take years of hard work and uphill climbs. What can come out of it is a well-seasoned performer who has done so many shows that their sense about crowd reaction, participation and stage presence are highly developed. Rappers that have just started performing are much more about themselves than the audience when showcasing their music, it seems.

Homeboy Sandman is unique in that, while he is a seasoned veteran on the NYC music scene with all the aforementioned qualities, he seems completely absorbed in his own world. This world likely compels him to create an endless array of original cadences and rhyme patterns most of which are one of a kind. Some of these verse formats he has probably only used once, for that particular song and may sound somewhat foreign to the average swaggafied, pop-rap fan. To the Attuned Hiphoppa, one would detect strong Hip Hop influence with commentaries on society, the state of music, and constant verbal gymnastic exhibitions. Homeboy Sandman is a master of the artistic usage of rare, ambient, and miscellaneous words from the English language that never see the light day in the average rap song or Hip Hop classic for that matter. As unique as his vocabulary is, the first thing you notice though is the lack of familiar rhyme flows when he starts to spit. His songs like “Airwave Air Raid”, grab your attention with a forceful display of originality in the lyrical delivery which to some might seem offbeat or awkward at first. But as you hear it for the second, third and fourth time, the originality seems much more refreshing considering all the normal flows you are subjected too everyday. On Airwave Air Raid, an older song that most people reading this probably never heard, Homeboy Sandman goes in on the state of the radio describing it with words like insipid, tepid, parasitic, wretched, half-steppin, desolate, despicable, cyclical, typical, not difficult and many more. Then he goes on to say in the hook, “ I’m talkin’ bout an air raid. I’m here to aerate. You know the airwaves ain’t dope. When everybody do shit, but how they do shit? But you could tell that they don’t. Cause even if they did do, the shit is stupid anyway.  Cats is talkin bout nothin like Jerry and Elaine. It’s definitely not the type of shit your kids should emulate. So I’m blowin that away. Air raid muthafucka!” Here, separate from the beat and the overall song, the hook might again seem awkward or offbeat, but when you listen to it in the context of the whole song its sounds kinda dope.

One,

Kurt Nice

Richie Gigabyte - Somethin Special Instrumental Track - TSU

Producers have always sent me some fresh beats over the years. Here's one I got recently that I personally like for a few reasons. First off, it sounds different than a lot of the productions I hear in Hip Hop. It has a digital pattern in the background but overall it just kinda rides along nice and steady with a ill haunting CG piano riff. It sounds like more of a TV theme song for some X-Files type show or a video game background track. That is good though cause producers need to be able make music for a variety of applications besides just a beat for a rap song. The beat is called "Somethin Special" by Richie Gigabyte.

The questions is with all the people who call themselves rappers and emcees on this group I wonder who could make this beat work in a song format. It seems like it wouldn't be the easiest beat to catch and make sound dope in a song but one of you could be the judge. As an artist you might not like it to flow over. I have doubts about it myself. But just because it might not be a rap song doesn't mean it's not worth something to someone else. Feel free to tell me if you like it. I will get the comments back to the producer. If you send me back somethin ill that you make off of it post it on the group page or send it to submissions@shadesradio.com. I will definitely give you some shine time on it.

Lastly to producers out there worrying about ppl jacking their beats, just remember. With all the producers out there its better to be bitten than unknown for what you do. Plus with all the beats you probably have you can afford to sacrifice one or two.

One, Kurt Nice




Richie Gigabyte - Somethin Special
http://www.shadesradio.com/MUSIC/Richie_Gigabyte_-_SomeThin_SpeCial.mp3

TSU Review Fundamental - Hip Hop Raised Me

The song is based on a welcomed formula of classic Hip Hop. The beat is 90's throwback and even though there is no apparent deejay cuts and scratches, the hook starts the track off with a sampled cutting feel of vocals from other hip-hop songs saying in a pieced together style, "Hip Hop raised me. It's clear that I'm here for a real reason." The rhyme starts off strong with "Guess I gotta dumb down, for you to feel me, or make a dance song just so you can hear me. My dad spoke wisdom. I remember these words clearly, "always write from the soul (feed) brain to the earpiece." It's original not in the sense of the first two lines, but the third line where he references jewels of wisdom from his dad. As in Hip Hop being the father. Unlike a single-mother raised mommy-type dude who's always singing sweets thoughts to his mother, Fundamental speaks of his dad giving him gems of wisdom in this ode to Hip Hop as well. Still he is able to weave nice metaphors with a skillful cadence to continue later with, "my dad said my enemy was my inner me. And these bad receivers they can't catch my similes."

Fundamental touches on perspectives about the way Hip Hop makes him feel on several levels of thought which also indicates a deeper understanding of the craft, as an artist. He doesn't just stick to the surface ideology of consumerism and points out before he goes back to the hook, " I know things change once you get wealthy. if hip-hop ain't dead, then the chick ain't healthy. (Hip Hop, Hip Hop, Hip Hop raised me...)" As influences he mentions Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Tribe Called Quest, and Nas which are all worthy teachers.



To me on a personal level. I think that most songs about Hip Hop are instant classics in the sense of a song that you would always want in your catalog, ipod etc. Well executed songs about the culture or the music itself always deserve a special place to a True Hiphoppa. Songs that are not about Hip Hop itself, but more about a personal topic have to have extraordinary levels of skill, concept or originality to become classics. Whereas there are  hundreds if not thousands of songs about cars, money, guns, gangsterism, females, pimpin, murder, smokin trees and being the doepest rapper alive, there are probably less than one hundred songs about Hip Hop that end up on CDs. Of course there may be more but I haven't heard them. In fact of all the thousands of songs people sent me over the years, I have heard less than fifty songs strictly about Hip Hop..




One, Kurt Nice

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