February 2008
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A Brief History of Hip-Hop – Part 4 Rap Becomes Popular
Read The Introduction, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Run-DMC signaled the new era. Their music was able to appeal to a very wide audience. Hip-hop moved beyond the ghetto and white fans gravitated toward the music. Run-DMC released three albums; a self-titled one in 1984, King of Rock in 1985, and the ground breaking Raising Hell in […]
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A Brief History of Hip-Hop – Part 3 The Shift to the MC
Read The Introduction, Part 1, and Part 2 In 1978 a subtle shift happened to the culture of hip-hop. The music industry needed a name to call this music and started referring to it as “rap music.” Most people didn’t mind the new term. In fact, people started to call themselves rappers. This term shook […]
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Album Spotlight # 3
Huh!? Stiffenin’ Against The Wall by Organized Rhyme The year is 1991. I catch this strange music video called, “Check the OR.” I’m fixed to the television. The song and video are captivating. The old school vibe and sample have my head nodding. The comedy on the screen makes me chuckle. The three guys in […]
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Jericho Returns
Jericho is television at its best. That’s why when it was cancelled last season, the fans stood up in unison and said, “Nuts!” The fans rallied behind the show and used a line from the season finale episode as a battle cry. The way the fans fought for the show mirrored the way the characters […]
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Hip Hop Represents at The Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards celebrated their 50th anniversary last night in style. While very few awards were given out, the show was a powerhouse of live performances. Alicia Keys opened the show with a duet with Frank Sinatra. He was shown on a black and white video behind her. It was a great performance. Alicia Keys […]
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A Brief History of Hip-Hop – Part 2 Rap is Born
Read The Introduction and Part 1 Part 2 – Rap is Born In the mid 1970s, DJs still owned the parties and were held in reverence. DJs such as Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grand Master Flash quickly became legends. They all strove to improve their DJ skills and soon employed MCs (masters of ceremony) to help them […]
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A Brief History of Hip-Hop – Part 1 The DJ
Read The Introduction It is hard to define the exact time that hip-hop was created. There are so many influences that came together to form the culture and many of them far pre-date hip-hop. Where did it come from? It was born out of dancing and the love of music. DJs began to play parties […]
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Chase March – the rapper
I think when you love hip-hop as much as I do that you need to be involved in the culture actively somehow. I have written about it for years. I cover hip-hop topics in this blog often. I used to write record reviews, stories, and interviews for the university newspaper back when I was still […]
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Album Spotlight # 2
Good Weird Feeling by The Odds This album is absolutely amazing. It is one of only a few albums in my collection that I never seemed to get bored of. I can listen to it no matter what my mood. When it first came out I listened to it all the time. I can sing […]
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Have a Heart
February is Heart and Stroke Month. It is a month where volunteers will be canvassing door-to-door to raise money for research and health promotion. I know that it is annoying to be disturbed at your home and asked to donate money. After all there are thousands of worthy causes out there. Before you slam the […]