ITHACA, N.Y (BlackNews. com)—Afrika Bambaataa and other pioneers of hip hop are scheduled to travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to speak at a two-day conference celebrating Cornell University Library’s acquisition of Born in the Bronx: The Legacy and Evolution of Hip Hop, a collection that documents the early days of hip hop with recordings, photographs, posters and more.

 

Events on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 are scheduled to include music, performances and lectures by several of hip hop’s founders, and roundtable discussions led by prominent speakers from the hip hop and academic communities. Cornell University Library will host the event, which will highlight the one-of-akind historical materials.

“By paying tribute to those who laid the foundation, we tell our own history,” Bambaataa said. “Preserving hip hop’s early years will help future generations understand the places they come from.” Bambaataa is scheduled to address the symposium onOct. 31 as part of a roundtable discussion featuring other hip hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, Popmaster Fable, Tony Tone, Disco Wiz and Kool Lady Blue. Select artists will also perform in Alice Statler Hall that evening. Noted hip hop historians will speak at the event, including authors Jeff Chang and Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of black popular culture at Duke University. Hip hop photographer Joe Conzo will present his historic images of the Bronx during the conference. The event is free and open to the public.

“We want the community at large to celebrate hip hop’s contributions to American culture through a better understanding of its origins, which are the focus of this unique collection,” said Katherine Reagan, curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Cornell University Library.

Johan Kugelberg, a collector, curator and writer in the field of popular culture, donated the materials to the Library. Kugelberg’s book, “Born in the Bronx,” chronicles the evolution of hip hop in the South Bronx, beginning in the early 1970s. The 2,000-piece collection includes the archive of Bronx photographer Joe Conzo, vinyl records and other recordings, handmade party and club fliers, and custompainted textiles by artist Buddy Esquire.

Visit http://rmc.library.cornell. edu/hiphop for more information.

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A student who uses hip-hop to make science easier to understand, has been commissioned to write a rap by NASA. The 28-year-old from north London said: 'Being commissioned by NASA to produce the Astrobiology Rap was a great compliment.'

 

Jonathan Chase's Astrobiology Rap appears in NASA's Astrobiology Magazine European Edition.

A postgraduate student at the University of Glamorgan is using his love of rap music to make science easier for the public to understand.

Jonathan Chase, 28, studies Science Communication. His raps have become so popular that he was commissioned by NASA in New York to come up with an Astrobiology Rap for the latest edition of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine European Edition.

The rap has also been a hit on YouTube with over 10,000 hits from across the world in the last few weeks.

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Astrobiology Rap

Funky Fresh Records, home of hip-hop for 20 years, shutting its doors next week

They come for the music and the friendship. But these days, customers at Funky Fresh Records in Dudley Square are coming to say farewell.

"I was heated when I heard it, yo," said one man recently after word got out that the go-to spot for hip-hop in Roxbury will be closing next week. "You always got everything."

Added another, "You've been here for 20 years. I thought you'd be here forever."

 

"It's a wake-up call for people, and the wake-up call is that we need to support our black businesses," said shop owner Rusty Pendleton. Photo by David L. Ryan

After two decades on Warren Street in the heart of Roxbury, Funky Fresh is saying farewell Oct. 1. But owner Rusty Pendleton (a.k.a. Mr. Funky Fresh) isn't going down without a fight. In a scathing flier distributed in the neighborhood, Pendleton slammed the bootleggers, the downloading culture, and the big chain stores with their bulk and discounts as reasons for his shop's demise.

He's mounted a final effort to save the store, staging a giant goodbye party tomorrow night at Club Night Games in Somerville to help raise money.

"It's a wake-up call for people, and the wake-up call is that we need to support our black businesses in our community," said Pendleton, 42, sitting in his shop last week and reflecting on the journey that led him to Funky Fresh. "I'm not making it seem like it's all about me, but I'm the one leading the charge right now. . . . Once you lose the business in your community, what do you think the chains are going to do? Move closer. Sooner or later there will be no independent stores in your community. The word has to go out."

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By Asher Moses

US rapper Soulja Boy has been targeted by cyber vandals who defaced his MySpace profile and published his email and YouTube passwords on the internet.

The hackers, reportedly part of the popular online community 4chan, contacted Soulja Boy demanding he hand over $US2500 in order to regain control over his account.

The rapper, who published tracks on the internet before becoming a mainstream star in September last year with the number one hit Crank That (Soulja Boy), refused.

His MySpace page was then wiped out and replaced with obscenity-laden messages where Soulja Boy purportedly declared his homosexuality and told fans to "go f--- yourselves".

The miscreants also published the rapper's passwords - including to his email, souljaboytellem@mac.com - on the internet, and flooded his website's online chatroom.

The saga ended when Soulja Boy's record label, Interscope, contacted MySpace and demanded the account be returned.

His YouTube and email accounts have also been returned, Soulja Boy said in a recent YouTube video.

Souja Boy Responds to hack (warning: language)

 

Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American R&B and pop singer-songwriter, and an occasional rapper.

 

He is of Afro-Asian (African-American and Chinese-American) heritage. Ne-Yo's debut album, In My Own Words, was released in early 2006 through Def Jam Recordings, and debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling over 301,000 copies in the first week and certified platinum. During the same week, Ne-Yo's Stargate-produced second single "So Sick" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ne-Yo is as famous for his songwriting as for his singing, writing such songs as Rihanna's top ten hit "Unfaithful", Mario's "Let Me Love You", Mario Vazquez's "Gallery", Paula DeAnda's "Walk Away (Remember Me)", and Beyoncé's Billboard Hot 100 ten-week number-one hit "Irreplaceable". His second album, Because of You, was released on May 1, 2007. The first single from the platinum-selling album was "Because of You".

He has also said that he has written songs for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Corbin Bleu, and Enrique Iglesias for their upcoming albums. Smith also has stated that he will write songs for Craig David, Usher, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis, and he recently confirmed that he has been contacted by producer will.i.am to work on Michael Jackson's upcoming album. ...Movi album country rapper concert festival or Actress pop actor rock singer Blues CD or DVD single radio tv.

Comedian and actor Bill Cosby has turned hip-hop mogul.

The genial 70-year-old star of TV's The Cosby Show is set to release his first hip-hop album, Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency, next month.

No, he doesn't rap.

"I wouldn't know how to fix my mouth to say some of the words," he admitted in an interview Monday.

But he did invite MCs such as Supanova Slom, Jace the Great and Brother Hahz to contribute songs that reflect some of Cosby's own values.

"The value of an education. The value of respecting one's self and … giving [listeners] a chance to raise their self-esteem and confidence," said Cosby, who has been criticized because of his views about what African-Americans should do to improve their lot in life.

His 2007 book Come on, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors was a controversial call for African-Americans to shed self-destructive behaviours.

Cosby has also been critical of hip-hop music as profane and degrading.

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Rapper TI has pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing illegal weapons at a hearing in Atlanta. The star, whose real is name Clifford Harris, was arrested last October for taking possession of machine guns bought for him by a bodyguard. He initially pleaded not guilty - and faced up to 10 years in prison for each of the charges.

Rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, leaves an Atlanta courthouse  after pleading guilty to weapons charges. Photo by: John Bazemore

Under the plea agreement, however, he will carry out community service, with sentencing to follow next year.

US Attorney David Nahmias said that if the star spends 1,000 hours working with young people, he will receive a lighter sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, three years under supervised release and further community service.

If he fails to keep his end of the bargain, he faces a much longer sentence, Nahmias warned.

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Bash'd takes bite at Big Apple after run on fringe circuit

A gay hip hop opera that opened in an Alberta gay bar and toured the fringe festival circuit in Canada is headed for the cradle of rap, New York City.

Nathan Cuckow, left, and Chris Craddock, as Feminem and T-Bag, are stars of the gay hip hop opera Bash'd.

Bash'd, performed by Edmonton actors Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, will open in an off-Broadway run this June.

The three-month New York run comes after a U.S. debut at the NY International Fringe Festival in 2007 and a GLAAD Media Award for best musical.

"You know there's stuff that you hope, to take a show to New York City and get as much exposure as possible," Cuckow told CBC News.

"Our experience this summer when we did the Fringe, was that [Americans] were taken by the political aspect of the show and very moved by it," he said.

Cuckow says Bash'd, which centres on a gay couple and a gay-bashing during the debate on same-sex marriage in Canada, has a political message at its heart.

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By Maxine Myers

RAGGA STAR Bounty Killer has had two of his three UK concerts cancelled following a campaign by gay human rights group Outrage.

The concerts in Bradford and Birmingham have been axed, causing the star to lose thousands of pounds in performance fees, because the lyrics of his songs are considered homophobic.

In Germany, Bounty Killer’s performance in Essen was also cancelled and further concert dates in the country are now in doubt.

It is part of a Europe-wide campaign by the group to halt his ‘Deadly Alliance’ tour of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland.

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What is this?

Rapper Bow Wow carrying a purse? 

Well, actually it's a murse - a man purse. Produced by Louis Vuitton, these little things are quite popular amongst men - mostly metrosexuals (???)

Source: Bossip

By Jared Odero

With Kenya still riven by ethnic violence, the country's rappers are using music to try to end the bloodshed. Ann McFerran of the Guardian newspaper, recently met members of the rap group Hip Hop Parliament, who live in one of Nairobi’s informal settlements. Their music is centered upon ‘conscious hip-hop’ which does not care about tribe,
but love for all.

Nickson Mberam has carried a machete and been ready to kill. "In this situation," says the dreadlocked Kenyan hip-hop artist, "you turn into somebody you're not." Rapper Richy Rich agrees. "We've been through chaos," he says. "We've felt anger and guilt. I've looted, I've stolen food - because I had nothing to eat."

At least 1,000 people have been killed in Kenya and 300,000 left homeless in the violence that erupted after the disputed election victory of Mwai Kibaki in December 2007. A fragile power-sharing deal between he and opposition leader Raila Odinga may have been brokered last week by Kofi Annan, but Mberam and Rich have witnessed, and continue to witness, horrific violence in the Nairobi slum that is their home. Now they're taking action.

Along with other hip-hop artists - including 23-year-old Tim Mwaura, who mops floors by day in a fast-food restaurant, and performs fast-flowing poetry by night in the Kenyan capital's ghetto clubs - they have formed the Hip Hop Parliament, a collective determined to denounce, through rap, the violence engulfing their communities.

At the centre of this is what they call "conscious hip-hop". Roje Otieno, Hip Hop Parliament member and presenter on Nairobi's Ghetto Radio, defines the term: "We don't play traditional drums like our fathers, nor do we depend on western culture. We don't care what your tribe is: our hip-hop is about love." When Annan arrived in Kenya, the Hip Hop Parliament presented him with a written declaration of peace. "We're not MPs," explains rapper Judge Franklin Milan, "but MCs, members of the community."

The violence has been depicted as tribal in origin. Kibaki depends on the support of the Kikuyu, the country's largest ethnic group, while Odinga is of the Luo tribe. But these rappers insist they grew up unaware of the differences between them. "I didn't know he was Kikuyu," says Otieno, a Luo, gesturing towards Mwaura. "We're paying the price for what happened at independence." The Republic of Kenya was formed in 1964 with Jomo Kenyatta as president; a Kikuyu, he redistributed land that belonged to other tribes. "Our parents lived in different parts of Kenya but came to Nairobi, where we grew up," adds Otieno. "It was only later, when our parents told us to marry according to our tribe, that we realised it mattered to them. Today, we are the victims of the situation."

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Xavier Kurt Naidoo (born October 2, 1971 in Mannheim, Baden-W rttemberg, Germany) is a German singer and songwriter of South African Indian Tamil descent, who sings in German and occasionally in English. He is known for his soulful voice and has collaborated with several famous artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, Deborah Cox and 3-P's Sabrina Setlur, along with the Swiss artist Stress.

He sings in a number of styles, including R&B, soul, pop and occasionally rock. His most famous releases include "Ich kenne nichts", "20,000 Meilen", "Souls on Fire" and "Sie sieht mich nicht", which was featured on the German release of the film soundtrack for Asterix. Naidoo's popularity has massively increased since he joined groups like S hne Mannheims, and Brothers Keepers and the charity project Zeichen der Zeit in the early 2000s.

Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du) (i've never seen) 
in English and German with intro by rapper RZA

 

 

 

 

  I'd be waiting

 

 

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By Carol Kino

IN nearly four decades of collaboration Alexander Melamid and Vitaly Komar were known for conceptual art projects that both celebrated and skewered mass culture. In the early 1970s in Moscow they created paintings that purported to examine Socialist Realism, but the work’s irony was so obvious that they were branded as political dissidents. By the late 1990s they were training their satirical sights on elephants and the art world, teaching the beasts to paint and establishing an international market for their work.

Yet in 2004 their partnership abruptly ended. While Mr. Komar continued to show his work in galleries, the gregarious Mr. Melamid seemed to go underground. Some wondered if he had given up on making art.

It turns out that Mr. Melamid has been hard at work, as was clear on a recent afternoon in his cavernous studio in Chelsea. Propped against the walls were some impressively monumental oil portraits of cardinals, monks, priests and nuns, curious subjects for someone who often describes himself as “an old Jew from Russia.”

“I am repenting for my sins,” he proclaimed theatrically in heavily accented English. “I am born-again artist.”

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The hip hop jewelry market is filled with fly by night companies, shady start ups and even scammers. In a business like fashion jewelry, honesty and a true dedication to customer service is rare. For nearly 10 years now, hiphopbling.com has remained a leader in the industry, providing great products and excellent service. They are one of the largest online retailers and wholesalers of hip hop jewelry.

Over the years, hip hop bling has grown to offer over 1400 products. The site is known for innovation and new trends. Often times you’ll find the latest trends at this site, then copied by all the other hip hop jewelry websites on the internet. Many years ago, hip hop bling custom created the first mass produced spinner pendant, and it was based off of the lowenhart LD1 rim with a spinner piece on top. At the time, no one carried anything like it so the product took off. About a year later, spinners were all over the place and even in the mainstream such as 50 cent’s G-unit spinner.

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Rapper Q-TIP has recruited U.S. presidential hopeful BARACK OBAMA to lay down vocals on a politically motivated track for his latest LP. The Breathe And Stop star, who uses Democrat Obama's inspirational voice over hip-hop music on his new album The Renaissance, has also collaborated with soul singer Norah Jones and controversial filmmaker Spike on the political project.

The 37-year-old tells the New York Post's Page Six, "I've got Norah Jones on there, but Barack is the big one. You'll see what happens, I can't reveal too much." The hip-hop hitmaker joins former Batman Michael Keaton, Oscar winner Halle Berry, actress Jessica Alba, will.i.am, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith, all of whom have spoken openly about their support for Obama.

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DonnaJean Records has signed the Christian Hip-Hop artist DPB. His first album, "Re-Identity", will be released world-wide in March 2008 in retail stores and on all major digital download outlets.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 6, 2008 -- DonnaJean Records has signed the Christian Hip-Hop artist DPB. His first album, "Re-Identity", will be released world-wide in March 2008 in retail stores and on all major digital download outlets.

Jim Garrard, founder and CEO of DonnaJean Records, says "We have been truly blessed to have signed this amazing artist and songwriter to both our label and publishing company. I cannot wait for the world to experience the amazingly talented DPB. Not only does this take DonnaJean Records into the world of Christian and hip-hop music, but with DPB's talent and songwriting it allows us to make a positive difference through music."

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Cadence Weapon's Rollie Pemberton says he's looking for something more in rap music _ and just may have found it in French existentialism.

The Edmonton rapper, who tackles gossip, failed love and selling your soul on the new album, says his mind has already turned to a possible concept disc based on the ideas of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

It would be a more cerebral turn that the new release, ``Afterparty Babies,'' which outlines party tales and relationship woes, but that doesn't mean it won't be able to rock a party, Pemberton says in an interview at a Toronto pub
.
``You can make a pop song out of anything,'' says Pemberton, noting he's already got a few Sartre-inspired songs under his belt.

``I miss the mystery of (buying a) record and you're like, `I don't totally understand this initially.' But you listen to it a couple more times, or maybe look up certain words.''

``Afterparty Babies,'' Pemberton's second full-length album, is likely a little easier for most people to digest, offering a lyrically dense series of vignettes that revolve around the 22-year-old's friends and hipster life in Edmonton.
The affable artist says he regards it as a concept album, and offered both praise and criticism for the effects that southern rap and uber-producer Timbaland's chart dominance have wrought on popular music.

``I feel like a lot of people are getting away from the idea of the album,'' he notes. ``It's gone away from album and away from (even) singles to the point where it's cellphone ringtones more than anything.'' Timbaland, known for his collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Pussycat Dolls, is said to be working on the first-ever mobile phone album. Once a month, he plans to release a song and corresponding ringtone through the U.S. phone company Verizon.

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By Josh Robin

The governor responded Wednesday to some very heated language used by hip hop mogul Russell Simmons to describe his stance on the Rockefeller drug laws.

Speaking out on NY1's "Inside City Hall" Tuesday, Simmons said Eliot Spitzer is failing to live up to promises to reform the state's strict drug laws. Political reporter Josh Robin filed the following report.

“I'm very disappointed in the governor. I should say that the hip hop is getting ready to get in his ass,” Russell Simmons said on Tuesday night’s “Inside City Hall.”

Simmons says Governor Eliot Spitzer as a candidate talked a good game about reforming the Rockefeller drug laws.

But 14 months after inauguration, some feel cheated.

"He promised all of us that he would do something about this prison reform issue,” said Simmons.

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By Kelefa Sanneh

NEWARK — Lil Wayne had three things to explain. No. 1, a religious confession: “I believe in God and his son, Jesus. Do you?” He interpreted the roar as an affirmative response. No. 2, a professional confession: He said he was nothing without the fans, adding, “Make some noise for what you created!” Noise was made. No. 3: Same as No. 2. More noise.

It was Sunday night at Newark Symphony Hall, and a sold-out crowd had been waiting nearly three hours. With increasing impatience, people sat through the warm-up acts or wandered out into the lobby, where they could buy T-shirts that said, “Stop Shootin’,” or pose in front of a giant airbrushed Lil Wayne backdrop ($15 per picture, including a cardboard frame). By the time he arrived onstage it was almost 11, and some people in the crowd were beginning to wonder whether they were going to get their $51.87 to $138.79 worth.

Forget a good or even great show; what they got, instead, was a peculiar, riveting hourlong performance that felt positively historic. A few years ago people chuckled when Lil Wayne, from New Orleans, proclaimed himself the “best rapper alive.” Then he proved it with a series of mixtape releases unequaled in hip-hop. And now he’s pressing on, going somewhere beyond the reach of superlatives.

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By Michelle Quinn

Apple Inc.’s iTunes music store jumped ahead of Best Buy as the No. 2 U.S. music seller as consumers switch from CDs to digital downloads. 48% of teenagers bought no CDs at all in 2007, up from 38% in 2006. Music downloads continue to grow, though, with iTunes leading the way.

Nearly half of all teenagers bought no compact discs in 2007, accelerating the music industry's painful transition from CDs to digital downloads, according to a report released today.

One big beneficiary: Apple Inc. Its iTunes music store, which sells only digital downloads, jumped ahead of Best Buy Co. to become the No. 2 U.S. music seller. Apple trailed only Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which mostly sells CDs.

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