The Circle: NEWS

This is the final column of the year and it has been a notable year for Hiphop.  Hiphop has been a presence in nearly every major event in the world. Cutting edge scholarship, educational initiatives, social justice activities and artistic events have rocked the nation and planet.

Knowledge is to Hiphop what freedom is to humankind.  We covet knowledge and are passionate about it.  We not only want knowledge, but we want more of it - all the time.  We test it, claim that we have it, argue about it, show off our knowledge... (read more)

So it appears that there is no real Dr. Roxanne Shante.  The shame is not that the too-good-to-be-true success story by the incompetent New York Daily News reporter is not true.

Charles Barkley filmed this commercial in 1993 amid criticism of some of his over the top on -court actions.  As the years go by it seems this has only gotten worse, particularly with African-American athletes.

On July 16, 2009 the Cambridge Police Department arrested and charged Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. with disorderly conduct in his own house.  All charges were dropped.

President Barack Obama has inspired a number of popular hiphop artists. Checkout these Obama themed songs and videos, and tell us what you think.

Like Water For Robots, digital hip-pop is blasting through YOUr TUBE.  These videos express the future with elements we may find familiar.

Ricky Walters, a 43-year-old hip-hop pioneer known for the rap classic "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick" and was convicted of attempted murder in 1991, has received a full pardon from Gov. David A. Paterson. The governor said in a statement that he decided to pardon Mr. Walters, who was released from prison in 1997, to prevent him from being deported to Britain, where Mr. Walters was born and lived until the age of 11.