Hip-Hop
-
Rap Calls Attention to Real Issues
Image by 216 wear via Flickr In the 1980s rap exploded in popularity. This allowed a brand new voice to be added to popular discourse, the voice of the black man. Rap groups started to call attention to issues such as racism, freedom of speech, police brutality, racial unity, and countless other issues that affected…
-
Know Your History: Episode 11 – Political Rap
Some people think hip-hop is totally devoid of a message. Granted, there are songs that are meant to be fun and pointless, but you will find this in any genre of music. Likewise, you will also find plenty of songs that carry a deep message to them, no matter what genre of music you listen…
-
Hear This – Cradle Orchestra
I came across this amazing album by Cradle Orchestra quite by chance. Sometimes all it takes is a name or a creative album cover to catch my attention. This one certainly did that. It’s called “Transcended Elements.” As I scanned the tracklisting, I was intrigued to see the line up of notable emcees featured on…
-
Beatboxing is an Art
Biz Markie was beatboxing before he was rapping. Most of us are familiar with his classic song “Just a Friend” but I’d like to play for you the way he can “Make the Music” with his mouth. That was Biz Markie “Make the Music With Your Mouth.” What a perfect song to play for a…
-
Know Your History: Episode 10 The Beatbox
Welcome to Know Your History, your monthly dose of hip-hop knowledge. Today we are going to explore the fifth element of hip-hop, the art of beatboxing. Beatboxing joined the culture of hip-hop quite early. It can’t be credited to a single person, however. Much like graffiti, it sprung up quickly and we’re not exactly sure…
-
DOPEfm 2010 Tribute Mix (free download)
It was a bit late this year but we finally have Gamma Krush’s Tribute to 2010. You can download Part 1 and Part 2 for free or stream it with the player below. I know that I will be bumping these tunes for weeks to come. Listen to DOPEfm live Saturday overnights on 93.3 CFMU…
-
Breakdancing in an Art!
Image via Wikipedia Afrika Bambaataa is one of the pioneers of breakdancing. He saw dancing as a way for young people to get together and accomplish something positive. To that end, he started one of the first breakdancing crews, The Zulu Kings. Soon after that, crews started to pop up everywhere. Breakdancing battles saw these…
-
Know Your History: Episode 9 – Breakdancing
What you need to do right now is to clear a spot on your kitchen floor, on your living room floor if you’ve got hardwood, or if you only have carpet, put some cardboard down and get ready because this is the breakdance edition of Know Your History. I’m just kidding. I can’t dance, and…
-
Graffiti is Art
Image via Wikipedia I think the first time someone ever saw a permanent marker, they had a desire to write their name on the wall. It’s almost primal, that need to create on the surfaces available. We could get slabs of rock or canvases to write on and leave the walls of the city alone.…
-
Know Your History: Episode 8 – Graffiti
Welcome to Episode 8 of Know Your History, your monthly dose of hip-hop knowledge. Today we will be focusing on graffiti art, which may prove to be a challenge because I can’t show you what we are talking about on this radio show (download this show for free, stream it with the player below, or…