Wednesday, March 27, 2013

KNOW YOUR HIP HOP HISTORY (Schooling The New Generation) Lords Of The Underground

If you follow my blogs, then you already know what this post is about, but if this is your first time reading it then i advice you to check my last post about NAUGHTY BY NATURE. Am trying to take the new generation of Hip Hop lovers back to their roots, to meet the soldiers who made Hip Hop what it is today. On this next education, i will be telling you a little about the LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND. Yeah! Another dynamic trio that kept the 90s "HOPPING" while the new generation of Hip Hopers were either babies or unborn. If you dint know about them before now, sit back relax, HERE COMES THE LORDS!

LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND ( LOTUG)
Its Mr Funke, DoItAll  and DJ LordJazz and they are the Lords Of The Underground and if you ask me, they were also the Lords  above ground in the 90s, they had a spectacular hit song titled "Chief Rocka" which till today remains a Hip Hop anthem for those of use who vibed to Hip Hop in the 90s, i must confess i still listen to this song at least once in a week, i never get tired of hearing it, that's how you define a classic rap song, these guys held the supreme Hip Hop top spot  in the mid 90s, and believe me this was a tough time in the game as there was alot of competitive rivalries going  on at that time, alot of heavy weights in the game and alot of skillfull rappers shining, but inspite of all that, LOTUG stood out as a rap group from New Jersey, They had a unique style that made them stand out from other rappers and rap groups, DJ LordJazz was always behind as the linchpin that connects everything that goes on with the music, Mr Funke's was the chubby dude with the little voice but powerful 'vocabs' that keeps us his disciples reciting his lines and DoItAll was ever ready to back up Mr Funke  with his simple and a bit humorous compositions, honestly between Mr Funke and DoItAll i cant tell who drops harder because they are so wonderful together on a track, alot of rappers either sampled their style, voice and even bite their lyrics during that era, i listen to rap diligently so when i hear a bitten style i know where its from, i knew when i hear LOTUG style from other rappers, One great rapper that openly sampled them was the Notorious B.I.G. in the song titled "Machine Gun Funk" in the Ready to Die Album.

Lords Of  The Underground influenced alot of rappers that came out after them, they set the pace for rappers who dont have to rap about killing or gangster life to make a rap song and their lyrics were not packed with swear words like other rappers that swear in almost every "bar" they drop. The Lords rocked everyone who knew Hip Hop back then, they contributed massively in transforming Hip Hop to mean-stream music, so if you are associating yourself with Hip Hop and you dont know about LOTUG then you are rocking Hip Hop without the "HOP" that makes you a "HIP" lover, i would advice you to google these guys so you know a little more about them, and here are some of their songs you should check out on YouTube!

"Funky Child"
"Chief Rocka"
"Here Comes The Lords"
"Tic Toc"       


If you want to keep intouch with LOTUG then follow  ‏@djlordjazzlotug  on Twitter and get familiar with  LEGENDS who made Hip Hop a household name.

    


Sunday, March 24, 2013

KNOW YOUR HIP HOP HISTORY (Schooling The New Generation). NAUGHTY BY NATURE

There is obviously a new generation of Hip Hop lovers,believers and followers, when i say new generation i mean the generation of boys and girls born around 1988 to 1998  from age  14 to  23, If you are within this age, you love Hip Hop and you are reading this, then this is for you. Hip Hop already had a rich history before you came of age to define your love and interest for this culture,movement,religion,community  or any other way you choose to identify with it, Hip Hop music garnered alot of attention in this era when people of this age were either babies or too young to follow the rise of Hip Hop  and the people that made it what it is today, only a very few of these rappers and producers and still in the mainstream today, like Nas, Jay Z, Fat Joe and L L Cool J, but there are alot of rappers who made the game what it is, its is important for this new generation to know the history of what they love and admire with passion, they should know about the soldiers who fought for the recognition of what is now accepted worldwide as rap music, most of these rappers did not enjoy the luxury and popularity rap stars enjoy these days, they were driven by pure creativity and alot of them stepped away from mainstream attention because the industry got so big and the top-guns running it started turning Hip Hop into a commercial game  and alot of glamour and "cosmetics" was added to it, some of the pioneers could not handle the growth of Hip Hop as it  moved from a street culture to a multi million dollar business, as it grew bigger it sunk those that could not handle the fame and the money, lost in fame,women, drugs and money, they lost the originality that made them living legends.

No matter how these rappers ended up, we must recognize their contribution and the legacy they left behind. I am going to take  you on a Journey into the world of these men and women who defined the meaning of Hip Hop and the B Boy culture, Thank goodness for YouTube and VEVO, the works of these artists are made available  to everyone, as i take you on this journey, YouTube/VEVO/Google is going to be the ride that takes us back to those days when Hip Hop was beautiful and original, i will be giving you the names of the rappers with a little about their contributions and the tracks that made them unforgettable to us who grew up following the era  referred to as Hip Hop's golden age.Your homework is to check out their works on YouTube or VEVO. Welcome to my Hip Hop History class! We are setting it off with my all time favorite rap group, specially because they follow me on Twitter and there is no better way to show my respect than to open the class with these Hip Hop gods!
 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

NICKI MINAJ: The Last Woman Standing.


Hip Hop has enjoyed the presence of beautiful and lyrically gifted female rappers since its golden era, the likes of Monie Love, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah,Yo-Yo, Da Brat, Boss, Nikki D, Rage, Eve, Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Foxy*Brown, Angie Martinez, Amil, Left Eye, Salt N Pepa, Rah Digga, Missy, Sole, Bahamadia, Vita, Charli Baltimore. These ladies have contributed their individual role in the game and have set the mark for other Femcees to follow, but in recent years Hip Hop has seen the decline of female rappers with alot of them stepping back into the shadows, most of them obviously retired  so they can start a family as its not easy to be in the game and keep the real family tradition of raising kids, its quite easier for men to cope with this but not for the ladies who turn mothers because the bond and obligation women have to their children is not the same as with men.

One would have expected that as the rap amazons are retiring, a new breed of female lyricist would be ready to replace them and work the paths their predecessors took, but this is not the case, the vacuum is so wide now that female rappers had to start coming back from retirement, who can blame them? But thanks to Nicki Minaj for stepping up to revive the glory of  femcees, her coming brought back the glorious days when female rappers break records and top chats, like Queen Latifah ( First female rapper to win a Grammy)  Da Brat ( first female rapper to go platinum ) and Missy (the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA,). Nicki  has set a standard for the new generation of  female emcees at a time when the game was lacking a female titan, she came in and her style and versatility was impossible to ignore by the Hip Hop heavy weights who took her in and embraced her. Yes the SAVIOR of female rap had come, she confidently said so herself in an interview years ago when she just got signed by Weezy to Young Money and she proved to be right,  Currently unequaled by any other female in the game unlike the 90's when we had contenders  like Kim and Foxy battling for supremacy and getting almost if not equal attention from fans,

Nicki Minaj stands out in this era of femcees and she's forced to rival the veteran Lil Kim as there seems to be no new comer in her league strong enough to stand on the same platform or enjoy the same fame and attention Nicki is getting right now, she has achieved alot in such a short time and she seems to discover her versatility by the day. The multi talented rapper and singer seems to be the last woman standing in a world where men dominate and the few female rappers making effort to share the spot light are still in the shadows, its no surprise that she gets  no love from some other rappers especially females as she seems to be getting all the shine for a while now. I sincerely hope for some new female rappers to step out or step up and give Nicki a good run for her fame, there is always room for a new act to shine but it takes  talent and the right persona to get where Nicki is today. Until the next femcee is ready to claim the top spot in the industry, Nicki Minaj remains the LAST WOMAN STANDING in the Hip Hop world.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

THE BULLY & THE RAPPER. WENDY WILLIAM'S REVENGE AFTER SEVEN YEARS

I confidently describe Wendy Williams as a BULLY! but certainly have nothing against her especially when i already know that she uses her media presentations to antagonize black celebrities for a living, a giant sized lady with little or no remorse for earning fame and money by making some people unhappy, yeah everyone needs money and whatever legitimate means to get the cash, its all good. Wendy has earned a reputation from taking shots at black and gifted celebrities who came into the limelight as a result of their hard work combined with their God given talents, while she came into the limelight for being blessed with an unusual  ability to get on the nerves of these stars and at the same time keep a loyal following of "Playa Haters" who are always eager to hear about the misfortunes of black people making it. I am not surprised, why should i? even the haters need a ''Shepard'', someone to follow and believe in, irrespective of if that person is telling the truth or not. So far so good, Wendy is getting well paid for her notorious celebrity gossips, she has eventually become a black celebrity just like the rest black celebrities she often attacks, now she too has become a TARGET of  the flock  she has spent the better part of her life breeding, how Ironic!

Some days ago, i watched her show on YouTube as she picked on Lil Kim about a surgery she alleged has given Kim a funny look, a female 10 years younger than her and yet was a successful black celebrity while Wendy was still trying hard to make ends meet as a radio presenter far back as 1997, i would have brushed it aside like every other celebrity bashing but the topic for the dishing was too ridiculous for me to ignore, i would have said its a case of  ''A kettle calling a Pot black" but there is not base for comparison, Frankly i ask, how dare Wendy Williams talk about someone's looks? with all the money she has made she still looks "stuffed up" and obviously fighting obesity, am not even gonna talk about her face, am just gonna blame her facial features on mother nature's "natural surgical experiments". We all witnessed how Oprah transformed from an ordinary face to a glamorous presenter. Well am not here to compare her physical appearance with Kim's but its really out of place when you dont look so beautifull and you start picking on someone else about her looks!  Unless perhaps there is more to it, YES! there is more to it,WENDY FINALLY GOT A GOOD CHANCE TO REVENGE!


In 2005, Lil Kim in her song titled "Shut Up B**ch", bashed Wendy with the line "Don't come around here with that Wendy Williams s**t, get your facts straight or shut up b**ch." Then Wendy was not too popular but was very notorious for being the radio presenter with terrible information about celebs, remember when it was rumored that TUPAC was raped in jail? yeah it was Wendy who went public with the news, and one i remember very well and was saddened by it back then was when she revealed that Method Man's wife was suffering from an ailment he did not wish to make public, Meth went as far as releasing a very touching song titled "Things they say" featuring Lauryn Hill about the pain it caused him for Wendy to go public with his personal life, Terrible!

Lil Kim is not the only one who has taken shots at her, here is a short list of celebs who openly criticized Wendy Williams, Tupac! Jay Z! Beyonce! Rick Ross! Mariah Carey! Method Man! Bizzy Bone! 50 Cents! Lil Wayne! Whitney Housten! Royce Da 5'9! Janet Hurbet.  And in 2008 a lady by the name Nicole Spence that worked for Wendy sued her because her husband was making sexual advances on her and she also revealed that her husband threatens and assaults Wendy in the office premises, LOL! Guess what, Wendy denied this ,LMFAO!  She denied her own can of worms but she spends her time trying to expose others, Of all the people that took shots at her, there is a name not mentioned on my list, i like to save the best for last, WILL SMITH! Yeah!  Big Will gave it to her Big Willie style in  the song "Mr. Nice Guy". When he said "Wendy Williams, you don't know me, I'm not your punching bag, you won't blow me up. Girl better leave me alone, before I buy your radio station and send you home." ROTFFLMFAO!!!

Back to the story of  Lil Kim's revenge, Wendy waited almost eight years to strike back at Kim for dissing her in her song, with more fame and a bigger audience  she felt this was the best time to serve her revenge on Kim, But if you Know a little about Kim its enough to know that she is "quick to draw" and "blast" on anybody who goes negative with her, Kim wasted no time to slam on Wendy as she went on Twitter and alleged  that Wendy had performed oral Sex on Biggie and the Big Papa ditched her after that, my mouth was open wide, i had to pick my jaws from the floor. True or not true remains the question people ask but that is really not my interest, what amazed me was how Kim came quick with such a dangerous retaliation. "Smoking Guns". Wendy got served! Its exactly what happens to grown ups who dont respect their age and social status. Before now,  i regarded Wendy with high respect for her presentation, rating her among top talk show host like Oprah, Babara, and Ellen, but when she stoops so low enough to be petty and vengeful and gets bad mouthed on Twitter by a younger female, i must say i am totally disappointed, She could have picked on a better topic, maybe Lil Kim's Career but certainly not looks, because there is not much to write home about on her own appearance. Kim may have had a bad surgery or maybe its all media allegations, whatever it is, It doesn't change who she is and what she stands for in the Hip Hop world, On the other hand, my word for Madam Wendy is " Be matured in your hot topics, you are getting older, your values should be more meaningful, set a good standard for people who want to be like you or someday you gonna be the HOT TOPIC.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

RISING HIP HOP LADIES VOL.2: MEET KARINAH DA DIVA

KARINAH DA DIVA
MEET KARINAH DA DIVA! A super talented rapper and lyricist representing Norway, this femcee is proving to the world that Hip Hop has no boundary or geographical location. A beautiful Norwegian  with the ability to rap in English and her native language with a sweet and unique vocal delivery that is melodic on its own without beats. The Entertainment Commission is proud to be associated with Karinah and we want to share a little of her world with you. Are you ready? C'mon.

TEC: Thanks for granting us the interview, how would you describe yourself?
KDD : "A raw and hardcore sweetheart!
raw cus im pure, hardcore cus im honest and a sweetheart cus im passionate and 100 percent dedicated."

TEC: How long have you been into music professionally ?
KDD:  What`s being professional in the industry? I`m 100 percent Loving what i do, and honest in my music, at least, thats what i do.

TEC: What inspired your decision to go into music?
KDD: I`ve always written a lot, ever since i can remember. Poems, short stories, songs and basically my feelings, exactly how i felt when i felt a strong emotion, i had to put it on paper and read it out loud to myself.im born with that need. So when it came to a point in my life when i had to stay at home for a while after a surgery i went thru, i googled hip hop and found a community where you could choose category of whom you are in hip hop, i chose rapper. and it all started with recording from there, my first recording was called suicide thoughts. hehe

TEC: How is the hip hop culture influencing your daily life?
KDD: well, i walk this way and i talk this way, the need of expressing myself, and inspiration towards hip hop's growth thru learning the history of this young culture, or  old religion if you will is my inspiration .street wear can be inspirational as well, im crazy about hoodies these days, i got many different colors from SMG, make sure you follow @smoothehustler on twitter to find out how to get yours as well ;)



TEC: Whats your most significant achievement as an artist?
KDD: When i was doing a freestyle show, with a great live-band in Oslo. (Shoutout to Jørn and his houseband at Skuret) one lady from the crowd came to me after the show crying and telling me how proud i made her from what i did and do, cus of my strength and how i moved her heart. that was beautiful.



 TEC: How big is the hip hop community in your country ?
KDD: It`s growing stronger and stronger, people doing theyre history, and stepping theyre came up. Theres a lot of interest towards hip hop here, but people are still coming about finding out that its not all about shallow things and meaningless rhymes, real hip hop is honest, has longevity and not what they serve you on the average music channels,we`ll make sure that changes.


TEC: Name 3 artists you draw inspiration from?
KDD :  Smoothe Da Hustler, of course, who doesnt?, Tupac, Heather B plus many more artists and groups, such as onyx, mobb deep, black moon.. list goes on and on

TEC: Which famous artist would you like to do a song with?
 KDD: Britney Spears


 TEC; Whats your favorite slang word or phrase?
KDD ; Loot,"gimme the loot." Like Biggie said, may he rest in peace. this year, 2013 is the  anniversary for his death, march 9th, just some days ago. bless his soul

TEC: Whats your zodiac sign?
KDD :  The creative, crazy and loyal Aquarius,

TEC: What are your plans for the future ?
KDD: i was just in Brooklyn, (was stayin on Franklin ave) and hooked up with some well respected hip hop artists. so i be coming back there very soon to work with some of the most interesting and intelligent people i ever met.plus sealing up an ep these days. Im ready to work, and anybody who down for that can hit me at karinahdiva@gmail.com, or let me kno when you follow me on twitter @karinahdiva
 my biggest aspiration as an artist is to create and build things for the future, meaning doing good and taking responsibility for the future generations, hip hop kids or not.

TEC: Your message to other musicicans reading this ?

KDD:  Quoting the bible and makin granma proud for this answer: "beware, for i send you out as sheep amongst wolves"
giving up, not an option.oh yeah , and fuck pedophiles, rapists and fake shit.bless the rest


You can watch   Karinah's  music  video on the right side of this page tagged SHOWCASE OF THE WEEK.
Support and follow Karinah on Twitter via  https://twitter.com/KarinahDiva

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

KIM KARDASHIAN:THE JOURNEY OF A HUSTLER

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Back in the days, i knew Kim Kardashian as a pretty young girl identified as a socialite that used to roll with Paris Hilton another socialite that made the word socialite famous, socialites to me was just a developed definition of groupies because they share similar qualities. Back then Paris Hilton was the "Belle of the Ball" she was everywhere and doing everything including being involved in a sextape that increased her fame, the tape was released shortly before her reality show "The Simple Life" came on air and this helped the initial success of the show. Now let us be dumb and agree its a co-incidence that Kim who was a close friend of Paris at that time also had a leaked  sex-tape the same year her reality TV show started in 2007. Vivid entertainment bought her sex tape and distributed it, they also gave her a 5 million dollars settlement after a lawsuit she filed against them, giving her the fame and the money needed to start her reality TV on E! but mind you we are not allowed to call these chicks  porn stars! no we cant do that LOL!, Kim got paid even higher than other porn stars, so lets just say she is a socialite that sold a sex tape. Today she has out shined Paris Hilton and all the other chicks she used to roll with, she always knew she would, she is a strategist, a brilliant one, lets not forget she is an offspring of one of Americas brilliant lawyers turn businessman, people are easily carried away by her calmness and her beauty, but Kim is a female that thinks like a male HUSTLER. Her outward softness is her "Joker" card, no soft girl can achieve what she has achieved, she been through a lot, the softness is a natural gift from God but dont get it twisted, she plays hard ball.

Kim was born to be a star, you can tell from her style and grace, her beauty and the sexy physic that has made Kanye West go against all odds to be her baby daddy, as much as she was born for this life this girl worked her way to the top, with extra hard work, she dint just sit down and the fame came to her, she hustled hard, she did everything within her powers to get there, Lets again assume that it was a mistake her sex-tape got leaked, but it happened to be with a superstar adding to her resume as a high roller, at the same time her sexual prowess was exposed to the world giving her admirers and internet perverts something to dream and fantasize about, she dint stop there, she continued hobnobbing with the crème de la crème of society, making appearances at events and parties aside her ongoing TV show. Beneath the beautiful charm Kim possesses, lies a die hard go getter drive, a get rich or die trying hustler who would stop at nothing for fame. I guess hard work pays off, Kim is finally there, where she wants to be, the center of attention, with million dollar endorsements and other business enterprise, she is climbing the success chart everyday inspite of critics taking shots at her, she takes it all in smiles teasing reporters and journalist with her soft and calm disposition plus her ever cheerful smiling face, she seems soft on the outside but Kim is a strong woman with ambition solid as a rock, the Kim we see is not the Kim she sees when she looks at the mirror, she sees a ruler, a "mob boss" running things with one of the best and most reliable gang one can ever have, FAMILY.

In 2000, as early as when she was 20 she got married to Damon Thomas a music producer and in 2004 divorced him, it is said that her sex-tape was made in 2003 meaning she was still legally married when it was made, it is not wonder now that she is still legally married and she is pregnant with Kanye's baby, i am citing this out so that ladies out there would know that this girl has come a long way,she been there and done that, she gained maturity when some other chicks were still trying to get a college degree or define their lives, she has been in the socialite circle and has dated notable people aside Ray J like Reggie Bush an NFL player. Miles Austin, another NFL player, Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey's current husband, and Gabriel Aubry a Canadian model. In 2011 she married Chris Humphries an NBA player and their wedding lasted for two months and ten days, now they are separated and Chris is claiming that Kim scammed him into the wedding, INTERESTING! But what is more interesting is how she chooses her men, always going where the money and fame is, whats wrong with dating a nameless wall street dude? Hmm! No hype! Well now she is going to have a baby for Kanye, Kanye whom his ex girlfriend Amber Rose in an Interview uploaded on YouTube describes him as a " Total Dick" for his negative remarks about her after their break up,Amber Rose now engaged to rapper Whiz Khalifa and they recently had a baby. Kanye is way more expressive than Kim's previous boyfriends and i really do wish them all the best and hope they live happily ever after but if "It all falls down" for Kim and Kanye, there is gonna be so much drama unfolding. Lets keep our fingers crossed and wish for the best for KIMYE.