Hip-Hop’s Evolution:
Vol III: …the effects on the culture

February 8, 2010

Recently I read an article on a popular hip hop website that not only intensified my thoughts on the state of hip hop but it also confirmed some as well. In this article the writer felt the need to express his distaste for conscious rap and spoke with much boldness as he pronounced it dead. Really? Conscious rap is dead??? This writer had to have been mistaken….

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DJ Definit’s: A Lounge Called Quest

February 8, 2010

Throwback Mixtape Classic:

Throwback Mixtape Classic

DJ Definit’s: A Lounge Called Quest

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Hip-Hop’s Evolution:
Vol.II: So where did we go wrong?

January 27, 2010

hip_hop-blue
I often wonder what people mean when they say that hip hop is dead. Are they speaking of certain elements (e.g. the dj, the emcee, etc.), the music, or the culture as a whole? I can’t speak for every one, but I don’t think that hip hop, as a whole, is dead; however I do believe that certain parts of the overall culture are either gone or fading away. I mean, seriously, what happened to the voice that poetically expressed the social issues and harsh realities of inner-city living; the intense lyricism that not only highlighted inner-city violence but challenged us to rise above it. Or what about the block parties that reduce inner-city gang violence by replacing it with artistic battles… What happened to the movement?

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REFLECTION ETERNAL – THE RE:UNION
(MIXED BY STATIK SELEKTAH)

January 22, 2010

Talib Kweli

It doesn’t surprise me that Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek would have an amazing catalog since forming Reflection Eternal–a hip hop duo formed in the late 1990s. They’ve only released one album, Train of Thought, but as they prepare to release their long-awaited, 2010 sophomore project…

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Art & Commerce: The Mixtape

January 20, 2010

Art & Commerce: The Mixtape

Art & Commerce Mixtape is here!
Brought to you by E Reece (www.ereecelive.com)
Mixed by Inka One (Boombox LA)

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E Reece under the Life Cypha spotlight…

January 19, 2010

E Reece

The first artist under the Life Cypha spotlight is a Midwest born emcee that was raised in Maryland and schooled in Brooklyn, New York. His hard penetrating, self-reflective vocals reflect the original mission of the hip hop culture and prove that hip hop is alive and well. E Reece is unlike most artists we have ever heard or seen. This talented, hard-working lyricist keeps your attention at every turn and will make you challenge yourself. His music speaks of love, life, and staying true to yourself. E Reece’s interests in music started at age 12 when he began studying the saxophone. His music influences range from classic jazz artists such as Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan to hip hop pioneers like Run DMC, Special Ed, and A Tribe Called Quest.

E Reece entitles the style of his music, “organic hip hop” because it “feeds the mind, body, and soul with no additives or preservatives.”

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Hip-Hop’s Evolution:
Vol.I: Concerns for a Culture …

January 11, 2010

I have concerns… And my concerns are for the culture in which I was raised. I’m not speaking about the state of black America nor am I speaking of the state of the black union; it’s bigger than that. You see, I have had concerns for a long time, and have never voiced them, assuming things would get better, but they didn’t. My concerns are now becoming worries because I’m now hearing reports that the culture that once raised me is either dead or dying, so this is my state of the hip hop union address.

Hip hop as I once knew it was an urban style of music and culture that was birthed with intensions of getting the urban voice heard creatively. It was similar to an artistic protest. The theme of most songs concentrated on social issues, and discussed the harsh realities of inner-city living. Hip hop gave us an innovative way to poetically vent, protest, and express ourselves.

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