From the category archives:

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Rick Ross gives MTV insight on “Free Mason”

July 21, 2010

Rick Ross gave MTV the actual concept of his recent collaboration with Jay-z, “Free Mason.” In his word Ross says, “When you listen to it, everything that’s been running through your mind should be answered…” In the interview, it seems as if Jay-z has been meaning to address this and finally had his opportunity.

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Jay-z – A Devil I’m not…
Vol. 1 – D’evils

July 20, 2010

I often wonder where people get the allegations that Jay-z is a part of the illuminati, a mason, a devil worshiper, or that his music is demonic in nature. What’s more interesting is the amount of research… well I wouldn’t call it research, but they do put in a lot of work to prove this point. The only problem is that there proof seems a little off, so I decided to take a closer look at several of the song use to prove that Jay is in

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The Television: a god of the world (true or false???)

March 28, 2010

Here’s a conversations starter…
Have you ever heard some one say that the television or the media is the god of this world. Think about how much time you spend in front of the TV, radio, or computer and Then look at this…

…Talk about rubbing it in… That’s just BOLD… If you remove the fact that [...]

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Hip-Hop’s Evolution:
Vol IV: …Who’s to Blame

March 17, 2010


Whenever an incident occurs, the first and most important piece of information that anyone would want to know is who’s responsible… yet another popular topic when discussing the state of hip hop, the Blame Game. During this debate, the fans blame the artist, artists blame media conglomerates, media conglomerates blame the fans and just like every other blame game scenario, there is this never ending circle of blame and nothing ever gets resolved…

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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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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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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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