The Gentrification of Rap: Did Hip-Hop Sell Us Out? (Commentary)
"Aka a sellout / rap definition / get off that boy /change your mission" - "Crossover" by EPMD Although broken glass was everywhere, unemployment was at a record high and 911 was a joke, Clive...
View ArticleBest Of Both Worlds 2? Best Rap/R&B Duos To Deliver A 2012 Version
Jay-Z and R. Kelly's 2002 collabo LP, Best Of Both Worlds, started the blueprint. They started the "Best of Both Worlds" series, which transcended the game and brought R&B and hip-hop even closer...
View ArticleIndependence Day or Thug Holiday: Should Black People Celebrate July 4th?...
"Our country 'tis of thee / land of liberty / But that'll never be / not in America" -- Trick Daddy on "Amerika" It was the annual Independence Day party and Club U.S. was packed wall-to-wall with...
View ArticleInsane in the Brain: Did Hip-Hop Drive Us Crazy? (Commentary)
"I keep lookin' over my shoulders, peepin' 'round corners / my mind's playin' tricks on me," - Geto Boys on "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me" For a time, up-and-coming attorney Beauford Jenkins ,of the...
View ArticleGod Forgives, I Don't: Should Rappers Repent? (Commentary)
"A million names on walls engraved in plaques / Those who went back received penalties for their acts" -- Wu-Tang Clan on "Triumph" For years, hip-hop's hottest rapper, the "Boss," had made millions of...
View ArticleChicago, Colorado & Compton: Do Movies Or Rap Music Make Murderers? (Commentary)
"But still my story ain't over 'cause I got one more to tell / And the people of Colorado, they know it well" -- DJ Quik in "Jus Lyke Compton" During a recent debate on a Chicago radio station,...
View ArticleWhy They'll Never Be Another P.E.: What Really Happened to Real Hip-Hop?...
"Any artist can battle for glory / but to kick a dope rhyme to wake up your people's another story." KRS-One on "Rappers RN Dainja" Once upon a time, he was known as "Militant Mike," leader of the Mau...
View ArticleThe Powerless Pen: Why Hip-Hop Journalism Sucks (Commentary)
"Dull, void without substance or content / you need to slow your speed / stop the nonsense" -- Chill Rob G on "The Power". It had the potential to be the story of the decade. Tired of the current state...
View ArticleEvery Brother Ain't A Brotha: Is Drake Guilty Of A Hip-Hop Hate Crime?...
"Every brother ain't a brother / cause a color could just as well be undercover" -- Public Enemy on "Welcome to the Terrordome" They had procrastinated for years, but unable to ignore the issue any...
View ArticleMilitant Minded: Is Edutainment Still Needed? (Commentary)
"They schools don't educate / all they teach the people is lies" - Dead Prez on "They Schools" It was a typical day in Mrs. Lefkowitz's world history class. And, as usual, no one was paying attention....
View ArticleSame Ol' Song: What Happened To Hip-Hop Radio? (Commentary)
"All around the world / same song," - Digital Underground on "Same Song" When invaders take over a country, the first thing that they do is seize the radio station. So, when a group of terrorists tried...
View ArticleThe World's Still A Ghetto: Is The Hood Better Off? (Commentary)
"Don't you know / that it's true / that for me / and for you/the world is a ghetto" -- War on "The World is a Ghetto" The Democratic National Convention was going as scripted, as each speaker bragged...
View ArticleHomecoming or Homecoonin': Can HBCUs Save Hip-Hop? (Commentary)
"She's so self conscious / has no idea what she's doin' in college," -- Kanye West on "All Falls Down" On the block, he was once known as "Big Ferg," now -- after a couple of years at Hillman College...
View ArticleU Mad? What Happened To The Angry Black Man? (Commentary)
"Every show you see me in / deep concentration / cuz I'm no comedian" -- Eric B and Rakim in "I Ain't No Joke" There was a time when hip-hop artist "Bro4Real" put fear in the heart of America, as he...
View ArticleWhy The NBA Needs Phil Jackson Back (Commentary)
Phil Jackson is immortal. Phil is Zeus. Phil is God-like. You think I'm taking it too far don't you? Reality is, I think I might even be undermining his genius and basketball intellect. What befuddles...
View ArticleBreakin' 2 Chainz: Why Do Smart Rappers Make Dumb Raps? (Commentary)
"Sophisticated ignorance / write my curses in cursive" -- Kanye West on "Otis" When the controversial rap superstar 2 Shackles granted an interview to an investigative journalist at the New Jersey...
View ArticleThe Great Rap Debate: Can Real Hip-Hop Still Move the Crowd? (Commentary)
"Some of you been tryin' to write rhymes for years / but weak ideas irritate my ears" - Eric B and Rakin on "Move The Crowd" Recently, The People's Broadcasting Service (PBS) sponsored the first "Hip...
View ArticleCaution. Kids at Play: Have We Outgrown Hip-Hop? (Commentary)
"Back in the day, when I was young / I'm not kid anymore" -- Ahmad on "Back In The Day" When hip-hop legend Knowledge B. Born headed to the stage to finally receive his Hip-Hop Lifetime Achievement...
View ArticleA Hip-Hop House Divided: What Happened To U.N.I.T.Y.? (Commentary)
"I'm asking if you feel me / And the crowd left me stranded" -- Black Star on "Respiration" Recently, more than 50,000 disgusted and disillusioned hip-hop fans jammed into Jefferson Square Garden to...
View ArticleThe Walkin' Dead: Trickin', Treatin'& Trappin' (Commentary)
"Hustle for death / no heaven for a gangsta" - Lupe Fiasco on "The Cool" You see them hangin' around the hood late at night sportin' the same gear: white t-shirts and saggin' skinny jeans. At one point...
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