“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.”
The music blared as Romeo “2C” Mulbah grabbed the mic and began to serenade the stately woman in traditional dress seated on the Georgia Tech stage. “Whassup! Whassup with y’all? This shout-out goes out to the first female president of Africa. The nation of Liberia. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.” Mulbah is adding an international twist to the Dirty South sound.
Holy Hip Hop Music and Pastor Kurtis Blow announced today that they have entered into a multi-year, multi-album strategic alliance. The terms of the agreement provide generally that: Holy Hip Hop Music and Pastor Kurtis Blow will collaborate, as a part of its exclusive agreement distribution with EMI Gospel, to produce, distribute and market Music Ministry Recordings with the first retail CD release slated for Spring 2007.
Hip-Hop activist/mogul Russell Simmons will be among the speakers at the first-ever Corporate Responsibility Officers Conference. The entrepreneur, who will be featured in Fireside Chat with Russell Simmons, joins Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor Alan Murray, best-selling author Andy Savitz, and Citigroup vice chairman Lewis Kaden as part of the event’s 20-speaker roster.
On the remix for “Kick Push,” a hip-hop paean that has been all over urban radio and Black Entertainment Television, Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco and producer-rapper Pharrell Williams trade rhymes detailing an unexpected slice of life in the streets: skateboarding. Fiasco raps about skateboarding as a form of rebellious self-expression, peppering his vocal with the names of street skating tricks and common injuries – even some intricacies of skateboard-borne romance.
“Let’s keep it orderly,” Sean Combs warned the raucous room, ” ‘cuz I will send that butt to detention at Diddy High!” The room in question was the theater at Duke Ellington School of the Arts yesterday, final stop on a 24-hour D.C. promotional blitz, where the all-media hip-hop mogul attempted to deliver some words of inspiration to 700 star-struck students on the eve of his first album release in five years.
Urban culture and popular music are being put to work helping aspiring young artists and entrepreneurs from disadvantaged neighbourhoods translate passions into possible careers. The Remix Project, an unusual, hip-hop inspired skills development program with funding from public and private organizations, was launched yesterday in west Toronto.
We caught up with Talib the other day when he rolled through the Bay Area and talked to him about his upcoming album which looks to be his best ever. We also talked to him about his new record label and movement Blacksmith, which includes everyone from Jean Grae on down to West Coast phenoms Strong Arm Steady. Talib is ready to make major moves in the next couple of years and take himself and Hip Hop to higher levels.
