Dave Chappelle, Come Back Please!!!!!!

               When Dave Chappelle left television in 2005, a major voice in the hip-hop community was lost. Even though he had one of the most popular tv shows in the history of cable, and had just signed a fifty million dollar contract to continue doing "Chappelle's Show", he strangely walked away form it all and went on a spiritual journey to Africa.
               "Chappelle's Show" debuted in early 2003 on Comedy Central. The show quickly rose to popularity with its combination of sketch comedy and hip hop performances, as well as the tackling of controversial topics including: social, racial, political issues. The use of controversial topics drew in more viewers to his show, which was unexpected as Chappelle initially iterated that he expected these controversial subjects to get his show cancelled. This would not be the case as the show would go on to be renewed for a second and third season. While in negtiations for the third season of the show, Comedy Central agreed to an unprecedented, fifty million dollar contract with Dave Chappelle.
                However, during the filming of the third season of the show, Chappelle seemed to be dissatisfied with the way he and his show were being viewed. While filming a sketch that involved going in "black face", Chappelle claimed that a white woman was laughing at him in a way that he felt was inappropriate. To make matters worse, Chappelle was repeatedly harassed by fans during a stand-up act in Sacramento, Ca. The fans kept chanting "I'm Rick James, Bitch!", a catchphrase popularized from a skit with Rick James and Charly Murphy on "Chappelle's Show". Chappelle walked off stage and only came back to tell the crowd off, saying "I fight for you everyday...Comedy Central thinks that you are dumb...I tell them how smart you are...Clearly I'm wrong. You people are stupid!" After these instances, Chappelle decided not to return to his show. He walked away from millions of dollars and all the success and quickly flew off to Africa. Although he was only there for a week, the shock lead many to believe that he wasn't coming back.
               In some sense, this has been true. Dave Chappelle has not appeared on Comedy Central since cancelling his show, and he has made very few television appearances since quitting. While his television career is done for the time being, Chappelle still does stand-up comedy regularly. Since his show has been off the air for seven years now, hip-hop has lost one of its most popular proponents. Dave did his final send off with "Dave Chappelle's Block Party", in which he put on a concert of many hip-hop acts including: Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Kanye West, The Roots, and The Fugees (Miraculously!), just to name a few. The concert was performed in Brooklyn, NY and Dave gave out free tickets and transportation to many people from his hometown. Even If he doesn't come back to the entertainment industry, Dave Chappelle's legacy as a great mind in hip-hop has been permanently cemented.

Songs To Sway You: Dave Chappelle Edition
Common ft. Jill Scott & Bilal- Funky For You
Mos Def- Ghetto Rock
The Roots- Why (What's Going On)

Artist(s) That You Need To Hear: Boot Camp Clik

             
               Boot Camp Clik is a supergroup that consists of four different hip-hop groups: Black Moon (consisting of Buckshot, 5ft, and Dj Evil Dee), Smif n' Wessun (consisting of Tek and Steele), Heltah Skeltah (consisting of Ruck aka Sean Price and Rock), and Originoo Gun Clappaz aka O.G.C. (consisting of Starang Wondah, Louieville Sluggah, and Top Dog). While the group didn't release an album as Boot Camp Clik until 1997, the groups collective of acts had all released their debut albums. In 1993, Black Moon released their debut album, "Enta Da Stage". In 1995, Smif n' Wessun, who appeared on Black Moon's "Enta Da Stage", released their debut album "Dah Shinin'". Soon after this release, Buckshot and Dru Ha founded "Duck Down Records", and went on to sign Smif n' Wessun, Heltah Skeltah, and O.G.C. to the label. Boot Camp Clik released their first single, "Headz Aint Redee", as a group under the new label. This was followed by Heltah Skeltah releasing "Nocturnal" and O.G.C. released "Da Storm" in 1996.
               With all of the acts of the supergroup now established, Boot Camp Clik released their first album, "For The People", in 1997.This was followed by the second round of releases from the individual groups of Boot Camp Clik. In 1998, Smif n' Wessun released "Rude Awakening" and Heltah Skeltah released "Magnum Force". The next year Black Moon, now officially signed to Duck Down Records, released "War Zone" and O.G.C. released "The M-Pire Shrikez Back". In 2002, Boot Camp Clik released their sophomore album "The Chosen Few". This was followed by Black Moon releasing "Total Eclipse" the next year. This would be the last major release from any act from the group for almost four years. However, the group would make a strong comeback in 2006 with "The Last Stand" quickly followed up by "Casualties of War" the next year. Smif n' Wessun also released "Smif n' Wessun: The Album" the same year, followed up by Heltah Skeltah's "D.I.R.T." the next year, their first album together in 10 years.

               While Boot Camp Clik has drawn close comparison to the Wu-Tang Clan, (both groups are close) These two supergroups have distinctly different sounds, lyrical topics, and ideoligies. While Wu deals mostly with Asian culture, Boot Camp Clik deals almost exclusively with military content. However, both crews have frequently collaborated with one another in the past, and hopefully more collabos will come in the future. Although no act in the group has released an album in over four years, (apart from solo mixtapes by Sean Price and Buckshot's albums with KRS-One and 9th Wonder) the group is still close and working on new material for future projects. With almost twenty years of experience and tens of albums between all eight members of the group, Boot Camp Clik has left a strong foundation for future emcees to follow.

Songs To Sway You: Boot Camp Clik Edition
O.G.C.- Gunn Clapp
Smif n' Wessun ft. Talib Kweli- Crystal Stair
Black Moon- Stay Real

North, South, East, West...Worldwide

               Althogh hip-hop started in New York in the 1970's, its influence has been felt all around the world in the short period of time that it has been around. All four elements of the culture have spread quickly to engulf generations across all nations. B-boys, emcees, dj's, and graffiti artists have become a part of life in unexpected places like Germany, France, and Japan, to name a few. It is amazing to think that hip-hop started out in one small burrough of New York, and is now a worldwide phenomenon.
               Of course before it ever went global, hip hop was exclusively part of American culture. It quickly went from coast to coast with originators in the East like Kool Herc, to innovators on the West like Dr. Dre. Troughout the years, hip hop would spread further across America with southern and midwestern artists popping up. Nowadays, you can't turn on the tv or the radio without seeing or hearing some form of hip-hop. Be it graffiti in advertisements, or a dj scratching in a pop song, the effect that hip hop has had on our culture has been monumental. The effect that it has had clearly stems from the poverty and hardships that people were feeling in the black community during that era. The music conveyed a strong message and feeling that many listeners immediately grasped on to.
               Although it took the rest of the world a few more years to fully understand hip-hop culture, once they did, they fully embraced it. They immersed themsulves fully into all things hip-hop. Japan, for instance has many dj's that can scratch with the best of them and Germany has embraced graffiti with spray painted locales throughout many of its cities. There are also many global competititions, highlighted by the battle of the year in which teams of b-boys from different countries battle to decide who can "break" the best. Its been just over thirty years since its inception, but hip-hop is still going strong. In thirty more years, hip-hop may have fully taken over every part of the globe.

Songs To Sway You: International Edition
Teriyaki Boyz- Cho Large
Blitz the Ambassador ft. Cornielle (Native Sun)- Best I Can
Dizze Rascal- Stand Up Tall

Artist(s) That You Need To Hear: Pharoahe Monch

               Pharoahe Monch first started his career as the other half of the rap duo, Organized Konfusion. He and partner Prince Po (short for Prince Poetry) grew up in Queens, New York and decided to pursue their music careers in the late 80's. Organized Konfusion released their self-titled, debut album in 1991. Unfortunately for them, this was during the era of fellow Queens Bridge group, A Tribe Called Quest. This lead some to dismiss the group as clones, but those who listened to album would strongly disagree with that claim. The reviews for this album usually contained the highest of praises for the duo's intricate rhyming skills and lyrical content. This is especially evident in the song, "Prisoners of War", in which the duo deliver several fast-rhyming verses highlighted by Pharoahe's second verse. The group later released their sophomore album entitled, "Stress: The Extinction Agenda", in 1994. This release was as highly touted as their first endeavor, which was highlighted by lyrically deep songs like "Stray Bullet", which narrates the travel of bullets from the chambers of guns to the victims that they strike. In 1997, Organized Konfusion released their final album as a group. "The Equinox" didn't receive as high of a critical acclaim as their previous two albums, but it still got good reviews and sent the group off well.

Pharoahe Monch's Second Verse From "Prisoners of War"
Wake up to the mathematics of an erratic rap
Rejuvenator of rhyme, that sort of come automatic
Poetical medical medicine for the cerebellum
I divert em and flirt em insert em then I repel em
a breakdown, poetical shakedown
Fifty-two pick-up a stick-up so get on the floor facedown
The ammo to keep the people steppin
breakin open the vault because I'm like a verbal assault weapon
I'm mathematical, acrobatical
Attack the wack take rap to the maximum
You're strung out you're hung out when you heard the style
that I brung out of faint air must come out my mouth
where I stick my tongue out in the at-mos-phere
Take a good look at what's happening here
On the microphone, I'm RAPPIN
Pickin-em-stickin-em up, breakin-em-shakin-em up, and bashin
the lyric dictator, the aviator of antonym
All beware to prepare for the guillotine
Rhymes go express, expert, extreme
Be up to par with wisdom and intellect
Detatching one's head directly from one's neck
Still I've been illing and drilling your brain
like a villain I came in the darkness to spark the literature for sure
when I rhyme for the prisoners of war

               In 1999, Monch released his debut-solo album titled "Internal Affairs". It produced the smash hit "Simon Says" that would be played across the nation as a favorite of Djs. Unfortunately, this single used a sample from the "Godzilla" theme that was unauthorized by the owners. The album was later taken off the shelves later that year. Even though the album was recalled, it still gave Pharoahe Monch his biggest commercial success. However, the lawsuit seemed to affect Monch's view of major releases, and he wouldn't put out a full album for many years. He would release his second solo album, "Desire", (likely titled from his desire to release another album) in 2007, almost a decade after "Internal Affairs". The wait for his next project, while still four years, was not quite as long as the first. In 2011, Monch released his most recent album, "W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)". All three of his solo albums have garnered praise from fellow artists and critics alike. While his commercial view would be as a one-hit-wonder, the critical praise impact on fellow emcees would say otherwise. He even garnered a shout-out from Jay-Z when Jay said "I'm organized like the Pharoahe", in the son "Bring It On".

               With a unique rhyming style and an explosive delivery, Pharoahe Monch has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest emcees to bless the mic. Also, his ability to quickly change from rapping, to singing, back to rapping has influenced current artists like Drake. While he hasn't won a Grammy and has only had a few songs on the charts, Monch's impact is felt in a much larger manner than these accolades could ever show.

Songs to sway you: Pharoahe Monch Edition
Black Milk ft. Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price & Dj Premier- The Matrix
Pharoahe Monch- Clap (One Day)
Mos Def ft. Pharoahe Monch & Nate Dogg- Oh No! R.I.P. Nate Dogg

Barack Obama: The Hip Hop President?

               When Barack Obama first announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, the amount of support he got from the most unlikely sources, shocked both the left and the right. A presidential candidate getting support from young voters and the hip hop community. These two demographics had long been absent in previous elections. What made this candidate so different that he influence these groups? His skin tone was one reason, and his brilliant campaign management was another.
               While having a darker complexion has almost never helped anyone in this country, it did inspire many hip hop artists to throw their support behind a black president. While not technically black, being half African and half Caucasian, his skin tone and interest in basketball appealed to the hip hop community. Although Jesse Jackson was in a similar position in the 80's, the hip hop community wasn't as big as it is now and were very wary of any presidential candidate. Obama also avoided the controversy that Jackson had with his labeling of New York as "Hymietown", but did get some insults from Jackson, himself, that he would "cut his nuts off" if Obama kept talking down to black fathers in an off-the-collar remark. Ironically, Jackson was crying tears of joy when Obama won the election. Jackson's comments didn't have much of an effect on Obama's appeal to black voters or hip hop artists. With song's like Nas' "Black President" and Kidz in the Hall's "Work To Do", promoting Obama's presidency, and campaign contributors like Jay-Z, The hip hop influence was easy to see. Also, famous graffiti artist, Shepard Fairey, painted the famous "Obama posters" (pictured above) that were used to promote the residential campaign and were seen at rallies.
               So what does a hip hop enthusiast like myself think of the hip hop community getting behind a presidential candidate. I am not in favor. Hip hop should be free of political affiliations, in my opinion. While some hip hop artists are smart enough to understand the policies and plans of presidential candidates, when you're voting between the lesser of two evils, then what is the point.

Songs To Sway You: Presidential Edition
Wyclef Jean- If I Was President
Dj Green Lantern ft. Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Saigon, & Just Blaze- Impeach The President
Method Man ft. Raekwon & Rza- Presidential MC

Artist(s) That You Need To Hear: Asheru

               Asheru, although unknown to the mainstream public, has been an outspoken proponent of literacy and intelligence in the hip hop community. While he started out in the hip hop group, Unspoken Heard, his career has allowed him to work with television shows like "The Boondocks" and start his own educational programs. He released two classic albums with college friend and rapping partner, Blue Black. 2001's "Soon Come" and 2003's "48 Months" the duo of Asheru & Blue Black released two classic albums. These albums cemented Asheru and Blue Black's place in hip hop lore, along with other emcees from the Unspoken Heard. His music inspired many hip hop heads, including Aaron McGruder, creator of "The Boondocks". McGruder came to Asheru when he was adapting his comic strip into a cartoon. He asked Asheru to do the introduction theme to the show and Asheru obliged. The two would collaborate on future episodes of the show, including the infamous "Return of the King" episode. That episode had an alternate history in which Martin Luther King was wounded but not killed by the gunshot, went into a 30 year coma, and awoke during the 2000 election campaign. At the end of the episode, King delivers a controversial speech to a black audience. The speech was adapted from Asheru's song, "Niggas". While this was the most controversial part of the episode, McGruder, not Asheru, took most of the heat for this.

               Even before his work on the Boondocks, Asheru had been a teacher in the Washington D.C. area. He has a Masters degree in education from National-Loius University and has many ventures in educational hip hop programs. One of those is H.E.L.P. (Hip hop Educational Literacy Program), which uses hip hop lyrics to educate the youths on issues discussed in some songs.

               Although he is rarely seen, Asheru still lets his voice be heard and has used his music as a pathway to other endeavors. His music will still be a major part of all his future jobs, so let's hope that he'll continue to make more.

Songs That You Need To Hear: Asheru Edition:
Asheru & Blue Black- Soul
Asheru & Blue Black ft. J-Live, & Grap Luva- Trackrunners
Asheru & Blue Black- Truly Unique

B.E.T. Doesn't Care About Black People

               B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television) probably wouldn't be the first channel that would come to mind when you think of thought provoking television, but is their lack of social consciousness and ignorance of important issues actually hurting the people that watch their programming. My views are that the minds of our youths are being slowly dumbed down by all the garbage on this channel. One of the reasons I believe this to be true is because they have stated that certain lyrical hip hop artists are "too intelligent for B.E.T.". The fact that they determine what the kids are hearing on music shows like "106 & Park", shows that everything that they are playing is lacking in any clever content. When artists like "Little Brother" and "De La Soul" are intentionally left off of the channels music playlists, it shows that they only want artists from major labels with dumbed down lyrics and ridiculous amounts of jewelery.
                Clearly I'm not alone in my frustration of B.E.T.'s programming. Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic strip and animated series, "The Boondocks", used his cartoon to poke fun at the network's expense. In the episode "The Hunger Strike", The main character, Huey Freeman, goes on a hunger strike until B.E.T. agrees to shut down the network. The episode takes a satyrical look behind-the-scenes on how a show is made, The network execs reveal that B.E.T. stands for Black Evil Television, and the slogan "B.E.T. Sucks!" is chanted by a number of the characters in the show. Another episode titled, "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show", depicts the black bigot ,Uncle Ruckus, who is racist against his own kind, getting a reality show on B.E.T. At the end of the episode, he gets a DNA test that determines that he is indeed black (shocker) and is devastated by the results. While both of these episodes were satirical and not meant to cause an actual uproar, B.E.T. had both episodes pulled when they filed a lawsuit that wouldn't allow them to be seen on television.
               As a white man, I know that a lot of black people wouldn't want me commenting on black issues like these, but when it is affecting all of us the way it is with our childrens' futures being determined by what they see on television. MTV isn't exempt from these criticisms either, but B.E.T. decided that they are to determine what an entire race of people should be watching. With a lot of poor, inner city kids seeing nothing but drugs, guns, alcohol, and money every time they turn on 106 & Park, what kind of life does all this imagery lead to? What I'm really trying to convey in this post is that by calling their network Black Entertainment Television, that they are actually hurting the perception of black people in America, and by continuing to play their derogatory programming, will corrupt and condemn our future generations. Also, by playing their current brand of programming, they are continuing to reinforce the stereotypes that previous generations have tried so hard to shed. But since cash is king, I guess that this racism will continue.

Songs to sway you: B.E.T. Sucks Edition
Sound Providers and Asheru- For Old Time's Sake
Mos Def- Umi Says
Boot Camp Clik- Headz Aint Ready

Artist(s) That You Need To Hear: Little Brother

               The hip-hop trio known as "Little Brother" formed when the three met while attending North Carolina Central University together in the late nineties. The group consisted of two MC's: Phonte (left) and Rapper Big Pooh (right), and a producer: 9th Wonder (middle) The three had a love for earlier hip-hop groups like Gang Starr, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Slum Village, and Black Star to name a few. They adapted their style by listening to groups like these and even came up with their own group's name (They view them as their big brothers) from them. 9th Wonder's signature style of beat-making comes from the numerous samples that he uses of classic soul, jazz, and funk albums that he plays around with to create a beat that melds the old with the new. Phonte is rapper/singer who can spit a deeply lyrical verse or sing a sweet harmonic tune, while Big Pooh lyrical style complements Phonte's.

                The group released their debut record, "The Listening", in 2003 to high critical praise but limited commercial success. This strong first outing would lead to the group signing with a major record label, Atlantic Records. With the release of their sophomore album, "The Minstrel Show", in 2005, the group thought that they would find more financial gains by benefiting from the funding and advertising from their new label. However, few music videos of theirs were played on television and almost none of their songs were heard on the radio outside of North Carolina. It was later speculated that B.E.T. didn't play their videos because they were "too intelligent," and would go over viewer's heads. Shortly after the release of the "Minstrel Show", the group split from Atlantic Records and 9th Wonder left the group due to conflict with the other two members.
               The trio was now a duo, which meant that they now needed outside production with 9th Wonders departure. Phonte and Big Pooh released "Getback" in 2007, as Little Brother. Although this release only featured one of 9th Wonder's signature beats, the album was still a critical success. In 2010, Little Brother decided to disband following the release of their final album, "Leftback". The album's first single, and the first track on the record, is "Curtain Call", which is a tribute and a goodbye to their fans. Ironically, the last track of the album, "24" featuring Torae,  the group goes out with a bang with all three MC's spitting intense verses over a hard-hitting beat produced by Khrysis, a 9th Wonder affiliate.
                As of 2011, the group has no plans of reuniting, but the conflicts that lead to the split have been resolved. The three men are still friends, but would rather pursue their own careers for the time being. Rapper Big Pooh has released a pair of solo albums, with production from 9th Wonder on both, to critical acclaim. Phonte has released three albums with his new group, "The Foreign Exchange", consisting of Phonte, mostly singing, and beats from Dutch producer, Nicolay. The duo were nominated for a Grammy for the song "Daykeeper", in 2009. 9th Wonder has produced many songs and albums for many lesser known artists, as well as heavy-weights like Jay-Z, Drake, and Destiny's Child. He also won a Grammy for his production work with Mary J. Blige. Even if they never make another song together, Little brother has still left an undeniable mark in hip-hop.

Songs to sway you: Little Brother Edition
Little Brother- Nighttime Maneuvers
Little Brother- Still Lives Through
Little Brother- Say It Again

How Soulja Boy Ruined My Generation

               What happened to the radio? It used to be the instrument that highlighted the best artists' music. Artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown wouldn't have had the stellar careers that they've have without getting their music out to the mainstream masses. Times have clearly changed with major record labels that are only signing safe (artists who sound similar to previous acts) artists and are afraid to put money behind anybody who is different. The major record labels dictate what is played on the radio, mostly consisting of party or club music (do we really need to be dancing in the car at seven in the morning), then the same 10-15 songs are replayed every hour with no room for anything new. With Madonna clones like Lady Gaga and every new R&B artist trying to emulate Michael Jackson, how are we supposed to get any original content from played in the mainstream? The answer is simple, we can't. If you want to hear anything innovative, you're gonna have to look elsewhere.
               However, artists nowadays have more outlets to present their material than previous generations. The internet is the best way for upcoming artists to get out their music is to put it on the internet with the goals of reaching their focused audience. While the financial gains may be smaller for these artists, at least they get 100% of the profit, as opposed to signed artists who get about 10% of money from album sales and shows.
               The lack of innovation and originality in music isn't neccessarily the fault of mainstream artists. They are simply following the blueprint that has been laid out by the labels that they are signed to. Some of them are afraid to try anything different because it might negatively affect their record sales, which could lead to them being dropped from the label. Things like this keep the music industry stuck in the mud and very few seem willing to go against the status quo. The system is clearly broken, but I don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon, so if you want to hear something different, you're gonna have to turn off the radio and find another route. With my cynical views in this post, hopefully, I'm conveying how frustrated with the system.

Albums to sway you: Radio Free Edition
These are two of the best albums I've heard this year. You can download them for free by clicking on the links below. These albums are being given away for free by the artists, they are not stolen from the internet. These are from the artists' official websites, not some random website, so give them a listen.
The Kid Daytona- The Interlude
Stalley- Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music)

How It All Got Started, Way Back When

                In the mid-70's, disco was very popular and was gaining momentum across America. However, on the gritty streets of the "Boogie Down" Bronx, a new musical art form was coming into existence. They called it hip-hop and it consisted of four core elements: the Graffiti artist, the B-boy, the M.C, and the Dj. Graffiti art or "bombing", as it was commonly known, came from people spray painting all over street signs, buildings, and trains. B-boy-ing or break dancing, as it was known in the mainstream, is a style of dance that was generated from the bassline in songs, which would later be adapted into "break" beats that extended the bassline throughout the song. The M.C. (Master of Ceremonies) would control the microphone during parties and would rhyme about a variety of things, but mostly about the Dj. The Dj was the central figure in hip-hop and all the other element revolved around what records he or she was playing. the Dj was responsible for making "break" beats for the b-boys and b-girls to dance to, and scratching (moving the record back and forth quickly) and cutting (stopping the record and quickly letting go) while the M.C. performed. These four elements were all created in the streets of poor, urban areas mostly populated by Black and Latino people. This was a far cry from disco music which was created for wealthy people in the suburbs.
               However, with 1979's hit song, "Rapper's Delight", the Sugarhill Gang was able to meld these two genres of music and bring together two distinctly different groups of people. This party anthem allowed people from all different ethnicities, cultures and economic statuses to unite with a new wave of music. A few years later, disco was completely dead with the rise of "rap" music. Then, in 1982, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released "The Message". Revolutionary for its time, "The Message" painted a visual of the streets that people unfamiliar with the projects, could gain a broader understanding of. The M.C, Melle Mel rhymes in it "Broken glass everywhere, people pissin' on the stairs, you know they just don't care." The lyrical content delivered in this song was far superior to the party happy lyrics in songs like "Rapper's Delight". Not long after these songs came out, did record executives try to exploit this music. Soon, rap artists were signing to major labels for thousands of dollars and merchandising of hip hop began to take effect. Movies like "Beat Street" and "Breakin'" tell tales set in the landscapes of rap and hip-hop. The popularity and revenue that this movement generated would have been unheard of in the late 70's. The fact that an art form created by poor, urban youths could grow this large and destroy disco, which had a huge white fanbase, truly shows that a "David and Goliath" story can happen. Even thirty years later, disco is still dead and rap/hip-hop is still on the rise.

Songs to sway you: Old-School Edition

Eric B. & Rakim- Eric B. Is President
Boogie Down Productions- The Bridge Is Over 
MC Shan- The Bridge