Weekly Profile #6

Let me introduce to Asher Roth.

Asher Roth is a 22-year-old American rapper from the suburbs, Morrisville, Pennsylvania to be exact. He is currently signed to a joint venture between Scooter Braun's Schoolboy Music and Steve Rifkind's SRC Records. The Greenhouse Effect mixtape was Roth's first professional release. It was released on June 13, 2008 for free by means of Roth’s website Thedailykush.com. He was the first white rapper to be featured on Dj Drama and Don Cannon’s influential Gangsta Grillz series. Roth was featured on the cover of XXL magazine’s annual Top 10 Freshmen: Hip-Hop’s Class ’09 issue. Roth is expected to release his untitled debut album on March 17, 2009.

Asher Roth has top notch wordplay, but don't take my word for it listen for yourself. Here is Asher Roth's "Morning Do"

Trae The Truth Plays Santa for Kids at "Winter Wonderland"

Houston rapper Trae the Truth will join local councilman Jarvis Johnson this Thursday (December 18) for the 3rd annual "Winter Wonderland," a Christmas party for students in Houston's District B that have shown an vast improvement in their grades this year. Trae will be dressed in Santa Clause attire to greet arriving kids and hand out toys supplied by Councilman Peter Brown. This year's "Winter Wonderland" is being held at Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston. In addition to Trae's role as Santa, the kids will be treated to ice-skating, horse trolley rides, and a snowman-making contest. Councilman Jarvis Johnson hopes by having such a prestigious event, more kids will focus on their studies in the coming year. "By rewarding the academic success of the most improved students, it is my expectation that other students will strive harder next year to achieve the same success," Johnson told AllHipHop.com.

Weekly Artist Profile #5

Let me introduce you to Charles Hamilton.

Named one of hip hop's top ten freshmen by XXL magazine, Harlem born Charles Hamilton has been gaining notice in the industry since first blazing onto the scene in 2007. He is known for his versatility: rapping, producing and occasionally singing. The 20 year-old signed to Interscope Records and has quickly become known for his love of all things Sonic The Hedgehog related. Releasing a slew of mixtapes, including Charles Hamilton: Outside Looking In hosted by DJ Green Lantern and Crash Landed hosted by DJ Skee, Charles is back with his latest EP, by means of DJ Skee, It’s Charles Hamilton, a mixtape available for free to the masses. Embarking on a three-month online tour known as, “The Hamiltonization Process,” Hamilton is making an effort to reach close to two million unique listeners, instead of conventional touring.

Here is "Lemme Know" by Charles Hamilton

Busta Rhymes Apologizes For "Arab Money" Misunderstanding

Iraqi-born rapper The Narcicyst was incensed because of Busta Rhymes' contentious song "Arab Money," and expressed his ire over it. However, The Narcicyst told AllHipHop.com that he got an apologetic phone call from Rhymes himself just hours after he displayed his disdain. According to Narcicyst, the two of them spent nearly half an hour conversing about the original intention of the song which was meant to pay tribute to Arab culture. Rhymes told Narcicyst that he didn't blatantly disrespect the Arab culture and that representing it with a positive tone was important to him. Following Busta's apology, The Narcicyst took down his response to the song, a track titled "The Real Arab Money." The Narcicyst said this regarding the incident, "This is what Hip Hop is about. Two brothers from another mother can come to a peaceful and just conclusion for all sides.”

I managed to find the song that has been removed from Youtube and even banned in the U.K. Click here to listen to "Arab Money"

Weekly Artist Profile #4

Let me introduce you to Immortal Technique
Felipe Coronel a.k.a. Immortal Technique is a rap artist and revolutionary. His heritage is Peruvian and he was raised in Harlem, New York. A majority of his lyrics focus on political issues. The views he communicates in his lyrics are mostly a mixture of interpretations on issues such as politics, poverty, religion, social class and racism. He also concentrates on the bitter truth of crime in the housing projects of New York City's slums. Although he has been offered a deal, he has never signed with a major record label. Immortal Technique states in his music that he is very cognizant that record companies, not the artists, benefit most from mass production and marketing of music.

Here is "Dance With The Devil" by Immortal Technique

Stephen Colbert Roasts Kanye West

Contemporary artists have fallen into the mainstream deathtrap. These artists are just fine with bandwagoning and recording a song that meets the current criteria. Right now, the criteria only has one requirement: auto-tune. Let's take the artist who is currently at number one at the moment, Kanye West. In a recent quote, Kanye claims, that "I will go down as the voice of this generation of this decade..." However, in Stephen Colbert's opinion, (which I strongly agree with) he is not the voice of this generation. Colbert on his news-parody show, The Colbert Report, harangued West saying, "Sir, you are not the voice of this generation of this decade. In fact, with all the auto-tuning on your records, you're barely the voice of your own albums." Kanye West has lost a lot of street credibility and his performance at Dave Chappelle's block party seems like a thing of the past.

Kanye West should listen to Dead Prez's "Turn Off The Radio" to learn a thing or two and so should you.

"Ear-Opening" Documentary

The documentary that I speak of is "Dave Chappelle's Block Party." Originally released in March 2006, the film highlighted comedian Dave Chappelle as he supplied a Brooklyn neighborhood with a unprecedented day-long block party. This memorable Saturday afternoon was a celebration of music and comedy, history and community. Aside from Chappelle's witty humor, Chappelle presented a star-studded roster of artists to a diverse crowd. The lineup included the likes of Kanye West, Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, the Roots, and an impromptu reunion of the Fugees. These performers are well-recognized not only by the quality of their music but also by the power and might that their work draws from keeping their creativity uncorrupted.

The documentary showed me how brilliant music and humor can bring us together and help our society surpass the tumultuous times that we face nowadays. Why don't other artists put on events like this?

Weekly Artist Profile #3

Let me introduce to Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi is a Cleveland rapper who began to gain attention when he released his first single, "Day 'n' Nite". Cudi released his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in partnership with street wear brand 10 Deep as a free download by way of 10 Deep's website. The mixtape includes a guest appearance from DC rapper Wale and caught the attention of Kanye West. In early September 2008, he performed at the 2008 VMAs in conjunction with Travis Barker and DJ AM. In an interview with URB, Kid Cudi said that he was working in the studio with Kanye West on his upcoming album 808s & Heartbreak and will be featured on the album. He is finishing up his album for its release in Spring 2009.

Here is Kid Cudi's single "Day 'N' Nite"

What Do You Know? A Rapper With A Heart

Thanksgiving came early for 500 Atlanta families. Last weekend (November 22nd & November 23rd), Ludacris and his non-profit organization's LudaCares program gave Thanksgiving turkeys and pies to poor residents of metro Atlanta. On the 22nd, the foundation distributed food to areas on the South side of Atlanta. On the 23rd, Ludacris was on the North side of Atlanta, distributing more food to local residents in need of some holiday cheer. Ludacris said that "I especially look forward to this time of year because it allows me to directly touch the people we are trying to help."

More rappers should follow Ludacris' lead and give back to the community that made them who they are today. If you want to read the full “Rapper Ludacris To Feed 500 Families For Thanksgiving” article then click here

"Hip Hop Isn't Dying, It Just Sucks"

This is a title of an enlightening article from "The Seminal: Independent Media and Politics" website that I stumbled upon today. The article states that "Hip hop, which has been the darling of the record industry these last few years, is in trouble." Hip Hop sales are down. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales in the Rap category dropped 20.7% compared with sales in 2005. The article elaborates on the fact that the problem with hip hop is the lyrics when it juxtaposes "artistically interesting" hip hop lyrics from "CREAM" by The Wu-Tang Clan. and today's lyrics from songs like "Push Baby . On the outside, the lyrical content from back in the day seems to be the same as today's i.e. violence, drugs, money. However, the article says "Well to start, lyrically “CREAM” is about more than just drugs and guns. This particular song is also about survival, big dreams, and the mysteries of life." The writer goes on to say there is no possible way Pretty Ricky's lyrics are commensurate with those of the Wu-Tang Clan. The solution, of course, to the problem is make good music by putting some thought into the lyrics.

Here are the lyrics to the first verse of both songs, read them and see if you agree with the article or not:

CREAM: It’s been twenty-two long hard years of still strugglin
Survival got me buggin, but I’m alive on arrival
I peep at the shape of the streets
And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep
A man with a dream with plans to make C.R.E.A.M.
Which failed; I went to jail at the age of 15
A young buck sellin drugs and such who never had much
Trying to get a clutch at what I could not… could not…
The court played me short, now I face incarceration
Pacin — going up state’s my destination
Handcuffed in back of a bus, forty of us
Life as a shorty shouldn’t be so ruff
But as the world turns I learned life is hell
Living in the world no different from a cell

Push It Baby: When I Step Up In He Club-I’m So Hot Hot Hot
Tossing Dollars At These Hoes Like Ah Ah Ah
Pretty Woman Up In Here Like Bah Bah Bah
Spitting Game In Their Ear Like - Lalalalalalaa
Baby Blue I Don’t Play No Games
Head To My Feet So Fresh So Clean
Buying Out The Bar Like It Ain’t No Thang
Hot Boy Like Wayne
Diamonds In My Chain Blang Blang Blang
I got canary diamond Bustas
Got the matching Lamborghini same color mustard
Baying drinks for these chicks and now they owe me
More gin if u wine I’m the same ol G

Weekly Artist Profile #2

Let me introduce you to the Gutta a.k.a. Ace Hood



Born Antoine McColister in Broward County, Florida, Ace knew he was meant to do great things, even at a young age. He says "I got the name Ace as a child. My family always thought that I would be the one who would succeed in whatever I did." After an injury ruined his flourishing football career, Ace turned to his true calling, rapping. At the age of 17, Ace, together with the Broward-County-based entertainment label Dollaz & Dealz, recorded his first street hit "M.O.E." ("Money Over Everything"). This song generated immediate buzz for him in South Florida. Ace began to perform and meet people who helped him gain publicity like never before. After perfecting his craft on local crowds, his goal was to perform for DJ Khaled at his annual birthday bash. Khaled had a contest going on where you had to give a certain amount of reasons why you should perform at the birthday bash. Ace recalls "
We handed him a CD and once we did that he listened to it and called my manager that night wanting to set up a meeting." That meeting turned into Ace becoming the first artist signed to DJ Khaled's label "We the Best" distributed by Def Jam Records.

Now you no doubt have heard Ace Hood's first two singles "Cash Flow," and "Ride." Here's a something a but more grittier.

R.I.P. Rap City

This is late reporting on story that was posted on allhiphop.com in early October. Sorry for the delay.

BET network has rescinded its long-running Hip-Hop series Rap City. The move was put into effect when the final Rap City episode was aired on Oct. 29. The series was created in 1989, making it the longest running Hip-Hop program at 19 years. In its early years, the show competed directly with Yo! MTV Raps. It was able to distinguish itself from its MTV counterpart by not just concentrating on mainstream rappers, but also advocating videos and interviews from underground and up and coming artists.

It was such a shame to see it go because I myself was an avid viewer. This cancellation is a wake-up call that we have to take it upon ourselves to keep Hip-Hop alive.

P.S. Click here for the allhiphop.com "BET Cancels Rap City" article

Weekly Artist Profile #1

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Wale.



No even though his fitted cap says NY, Wale Forlain is a 23 year old hip hop artist from Washington D.C. of all places. 2006 was Wale's breakout year as he dominated the Mid Atlantic from DC to Virginia with a slew of radio hits and captivating shows that edified his buzz. 2007 proved to be even more successful for Wale as he acquired press in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post, all without a record deal. With substantial radio play in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, Wale also saw a great response from fans on both coasts by selling out shows in LA, New York, San Francisco, Philly, and Atlanta. Also in 2007, Wale took the European music scene by storm when he toured with famous DJ and musician Mark Ronson. His appeal was so great that he ended up signing a production deal with Ronson's Allido Records. With well over 2 million plays on Myspace and being sponsored by street wear companies such as Starr African Rum and LRG, Wale has become a hip hop and lifestyle phenomenon. He is one of the artists to look out for in 2008 and subsequent years to come.

Here is one of Wale's more popular songs from his third mixtape "100 Miles And Running"

And the Grammy goes to the...vocoder?!

Now you no doubt have heard of rapper turned singer T-Pain over the last couple years. Since his debut in 2005, this Tallahassee singer-songwriter has produced such hits as "Buy You A Drank," "Bartender," and most recently "Cant Believe It." I'm not trying to put down all that he has accomplished up to this point, but there is just one problem: he can't sing. For his entire career, T-Pain has been continually criticized for using the infamous vocoder. This device can enhance the sound quality of the user's voice and, when used correctly, gives the illusion that the user is very talented. T-Pain was the first artist to make this "instrument" popular and other artists were quick to follow in his footsteps. Platinum recording artists like Lil' Wayne and Kanye West have jumped the bandwagon and have made use of the device as well. As a matter of fact, every song I've heard from Kanye West's upcoming album, "8O8s and Heartbreaks," he has been guilty of using the dreaded vocoder.

Now I say "dreaded vocoder" because the machine has tampered with hip hop's life support system. Rappers are now relying on the vocoder to improve their music. Instead of taking the time out to rhyme about contemporary topics, they've resorted to only appealing to a female audience by focusing on the chorus of a song. The chorus, of course, is the repeated part of a song and the part that everybody remembers the most. The chorus in rap songs is usually sung by a R&B singer, but their services are no longer necessary thanks to the handy dandy vocoder. Rappers take it upon themselves to sing the chorus. Which brings me to my number one issue with the vocoder: it makes the artist's voice all distorted. T-Pain has mastered the art of "vocodering" and the distortion in his voice is very minimal. This is not the case for others however. I'm anxious to see and hear how T-Pain and other vocoder artists perform their songs on stage. Are they really singing? How do they hide the vocoder component from audience members? These and other questions will be going through my head, if I ever do stoop low enough to attend one of T-Pain's concert. The vocoder has and will have nothing but detrimental effects to the rap game if it continues to be implemented in every other song that is released.

P.S. Check out the video

Rap: Is it dead or just on life support?

In an era when critics and rappers themselves jump to declare the death of hip hop, it is my personal opinion that rap is on life support. The genre is in need of someone to breathe new life into it, an artist with fresh sound and impressive wordplay. There is a certain level of "artisticness" in hip hop that I find is kind of missing. But fear not, I plan to find new found hype that will bring soul, live instrumentation, and showmanship to the masses. In this blog, I will have weekly profiles of certain artists that I feel will eventually change the game. I hope my search is not in vain and that I have to change the acronym from standing for "Rap In Peril" to "Rest In Peace." However, every once in a while an artist comes along and does completely change the game: Jay-Z, Nelly, Pharrell, and Kanye West. Who's got next?

P.S. Here is a little something from back in the day