“Other People’s Property” is a very good book that is at its best when its author acts like a DJ. But don’t get it twisted: [Jason] Tanz sees hip-hop as text more than as sonic phenomenon or, for that matter, stone groove. “Other People’s Property” is made up of nine journalistic pieces, each a mix of reportage and personal reflection about race and the industry of hip-hop. It’s freaky, equally in love with Western philosophers such as Jean Baudrillard and the classic albums from hip-hop’s golden era. In a very hip-hop effort to get his shine on, the author mashes up his prose, cutting in and out of reportage and confessional styles.
This cutting edge documentary not only unmasks the faces of seven individuals addicted to graffiti, but it exposes their thoughts, feelings, faults and fears — an avenue unrivaled by any graff film to date[…]”Graffiti is like the United Nations. There is a representative from all corners of the earth. Black, white and the many shades in between, man or woman.”
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. will be honored Wed., Sept 20 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, at their annual National Angels in Adoption Gala in Washington D.C. The event will recognize DMC for his efforts in improving the lives of children in foster care through the Felix Organization, which he co-founded earlier this year.
Giving Congress up to September 21 to stop the invasion of Iraq, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus of Washington D.C., and Church of God and Christ minister, plans to lead a press conference in front of the White House to protest the war in Iraq on Thursday (Sept. 21).
The Global Artists Coalition (GAC) is launching a temporary hip hop museum and cultural center during New York City’s “Hip Hop Week” in October. The Museum and cultural center, located at the Magic Johnson Theaters in Harlem and launching October 12-17, will provide underserved young adults with access to hip hop music, dance and a cultural context to hip hop music during the month of October, New York City’s first annual hip hop month.
If his criminality was despicable, his ability to turn his life and struggles into brutal, bitter sweet poetry make [Tupac] Shakur a complex and fascinating figure. When he was at his best, there was an intelligence and sensitivity beneath the braggadocio that made him stand head, shoulder and tattoo above his rap contemporaries. At his worst, he was just another gangsta, allying himself with Death Row Records head Suge Knight, contributing to the wasteful East Coast/West Coast rap feud and making bank peddling the image of black-on-black violence.
Michael “MC Serch” Berrin and Greensboro, North Carolina DJ Waleed Coyote will collaborate on a compilation titled Peace in the Middle East, a new album made up of Arab and Jewish artists.
At 13,000 feet, the hip hop movement in El Alto, Bolivia is probably the highest in the world. The music blends ancient Andean folk styles and new hip hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. As the sun set over the nearby snow capped mountains, I sat down with Abraham Bojorquez, a well known El Alto hip hop artist. We opened up a bag of coca leaves and began to talk about what he calls a new “instrument of struggle.”
Ten years ago today — on September 13, 1996 — hip-hop lost one of its most prolific, inspired and influential voices: Tupac Shakur. It’s incredible to imagine how much he achieved in such a short time, which is why the long, involved interview here is such a treasure. It was rare that Pac stood still for long enough to get as in-depth as he did in this 1992 conversation, and when he did, you just wanted to stop and soak it all in. In celebration of Tupac’s life, we’re rolling out this rarely-aired interview. Enjoy.
