Respecting the Living Legacy of Def Jam: An Open Letter to the Recording Industry from Russell Simmons In a recent Newsweek article by Johnnie Roberts, appropriate questions were raised not only about the future of Def Jam, but also about the future of the recording industry’s relationship with the creative genius of hip-hop culture. The […]

My Saturday evenings have been lulled into repetition as of late. I typically wake up from a nap either to the end of Cheaters or the beginning of COPS. Both reality television programs garner pretty good ratings in the southern Ohio area by capitalizing on the guilt-ridden pleasures of voyeurism. While the Cheaters camera crew […]

Up until now, Bill O’Reilly’s anti-hip hop antics have been so unfoundedly ridiculous we’ve learned to ignore him. From his personal vendetta against Ludacris to attacks on what he calls gangsta rap, Bill finds new ways to criticize hip hop music. But, on a recent show that aired July 14, he went too far. Attempting […]

Adisa Banjoko, I truly thank you for such intellectual nourishment. I can always count on you for some real discussions on the state of our Hiphop community. You are truly a much needed architect on the scaffolds of Hiphop’s cultural development. I appreciate your concerns and comments. Everyone can learn from this. Before I consider […]

Blastmaster KRS ONE, For the last few years I have watched you write or speak about the merits of “being Hip Hop” and alluding to some spiritual core power within Hip Hop itself. While Hip Hop does indeed command more power than any other musical art form before it, too much weight is being put […]

I don’t mean to spit anti-patriotic venom in a land that I probably wouldn’t leave if I could – but when I think of the injustices hidden behind our flag… I can’t help but vent a little. When I think of the high morals that this nation was intended to be built on in comparison […]

Less than one year after Mayor Bloomberg proclaimed July 26, 2003 "Rock Steady Crew Day" in New York City, the NYC Parks Department has denied the World Famous Rock Steady Crew access to Bronx public parks for their 27th Anniversary, which is scheduled for July 22-25th, 2004. The Commissioner Adrian Benepe’s office oversees the NYC […]

The Hip-Hop Nation is still mourning in the aftermath of soul icon Ray Charles’ death. Funny thing is, people may not know that they are mourning – the loss is just that widespread. There is a tremendous lingering legacy in the absence of Brother Ray. And, for some reason, Hip-Hop didn’t directly embrace his work […]

From his directorial debut in “New Jack City” to his latest role as the ultimate Badasss, actor/writer/director and producer Mario Van Peebles has portrayed many facets of Black life through his diverse characters. From street hustlers to cops and even grappling in the wild Wild West, Van Peebles never measured his success through the box […]

While my brother and sister loved the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and cowboy shows on TV; I only remember liking one show and that was The Twilight Zone. I thought Rod Sterling a genius. Though he only lived until age 50 he left a legacy of creative shows that will never be seen again. […]

OK, HIP-HOP, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I am here to stand up for hip-hop heads across the nation and to state emphatically that we aren’t going to be railroaded out of our sense of style. I’ve been quiet lately watching the sweeping fashion changes that have unfurled this year. Yeah, I am not opposed […]

The savage murder of Nick Berg has shocked and horrified many Americans, regardless of their stance on the war. For many Americans this registers as a new “high” or “low” depending on how the war affects them emotionally. I have tried to debate the various reasons why I have been against this “fight for liberation” […]

The word’s out! New York’s beloved Police Department has finally admitted to the existence of a surveillance task force targeting our culture’s hip-hop icons. You know what this means, right?!! Perhaps we can finally bring some closure to hip-hop’s greatest unsolved murders in what has become a growing epidemic of iconic martyrs. Or maybe this […]

Baby Got back, but Baby needs backbone/Get off the video screen and put some clothes on… Brother Khamisi (Revolutionary Son) Back in tha day, a radio program director told me that heavy metal was marketed to 16 year old white boys who were mad because they couldn’t get a girlfriend. Fifteen years later, we must […]

Hip Hop culture has been gaining so much attention in the political arena over the last few years. It is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it is surprising to see so much self-hating Black men and Hippie’esq types trying to paint a multicultural myth that has never existed. First understand, that I LOVE Hip Hop. I […]

Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella records caved on a lot of their promises concerning the Black Album. There was indeed promotion, when said there would be none. There were singles (and poorly picked at that, in my humble opinion). There were overlapping producers and the final list was nowhere near the projected opus. But despite all my […]

p> Kanye West, sensational Roc rapper/producer, has spurned a sharp resurgence of creativity and hope within the young Hip-Hop culture that is marred with the sting of a double-edged sword.  All around the city and as far-reaching as the northwestern suburbs, young aspirants are rabidly embracing the image of what this rapper/producer represents:  pulling oneself up […]

Since when has America become so self-righteous that we are, all of a sudden, the benchmark of all that is decent? This country was built and started on indecency. America is the world’s most dominant force due to indecency. We have laws that were created from the bowels of indecency. For centuries, America’s middle name […]

Imagine if presidents were only allowed to declare war if one of their loved ones had to be at the front. Imagine if there were a law that stated that for every tank, there had to be a new school and for every war helicopter there had to be a new hospital. Imagine if every […]

Today in Hip Hop, getting people to vote is the latest and greatest trend. It is the best Hip Hop culture has ever embarked upon. Finally the seeds planted by Public Enemy, KRS ONE, Paris, Poor Righteous Teachers and so many others are bearing fruit. We shall see how this crop tastes in November. If […]