Hip-Hop

  • Album Spotlight # 1

    Raising Hell – Run-DMC This is the album that introduced me to rap music. I remember it quite well. I was at a family due and my cousin had the cassette tape. He made sure that the adults weren’t around and he played it for a few of his cousins. One of the rappers swore […]


  • I’ve Joined the Digital Age

    I have finally joined the digital age. Yes, I broke down and bought an MP3 player. I did a lot of research before buying one and I think I have found the perfect player. I didn’t buy an Ipod. They are extremely limiting. I needed something that could work on more than one computer. I […]


  • Music Space Issues – Solved

    Last summer, I thought that it was so great that I managed to save some space and organize my entire CD collection (see entry). This Christmas break, I found myself organizing this same collection yet again. It took a lot of time and effort but I managed to convert my entire collection of rap CDs […]


  • Rap Battles

    The battle in hip-hop is an art form all to itself. In a freestyle battle, two rappers compete against each other in order to deliver the best rhymes. The object of the battle is to deliver funny and witty rhymes that tear down your opponent. Some emcees will write rhymes and practice them just for […]


  • Best & Worst of 2007

    Here it is. My year-end Best & Worst list. THE BEST OF 2007 Best new T.V. show – Torchwood My favourite T.V. shows on the air right now all debuted last season. I have tried watching some of the new shows this season but there aren’t really many that capture my interest. I didn’t stick […]


  • Rap Music Isn’t Music

    I come across this mind state all the time. This latest instance was at a small Christmas get together at a colleague’s house. Almost everyone there was a teacher. I was in one of those small conversations that start up at these things. There was a first year teacher, a high school principal, a veteran […]


  • Inner City Visions

    I caught a show this weekend called Make Some Noise. It was an amazing show about young Canadians who have done some extraordinary things to make a difference in the world. I saw an inspiring segment about a young man who started up a recreation centre. He had a unique vision and appropriately named the […]


  • Music Space Issues

    Like I said yesterday, I have issues when it comes to organizing my music. I have vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs. Each format of music that I own is organized in its own way. My records are in old milk crates or recycling bins. These containers are great for storing records and make it […]


  • Hip Hop in Final Jeopardy

    The night before last, I was watching Jeopardy as I often do. The Final Jeopardy category was sports documentaries. The clue said something to the effect that “He was cited as creating “rap” in the 1960s in an ESPN documentary .” Huh? What? I know the history of hip hop and I know where it […]


  • Always a Scapegoat

    Hip Hop gets made out to be a scapegoat a lot. Last night though, I laughed out loud at the latest problem that someone pointed the finger at this genre of music that I will forever champion. I was channel surfing and flipped onto MTV Live (Canada). They were talking about environmental issues in a […]