hi dehr i am new to rap game i will get yer party started thank you :)

As Eternia learned recently, contrary to popular opinion there is actually something less fun than watching the Junos: attending the show.

And it's not because the introspective Toronto-based rhymer didn't score a wicked new paperweight for winning in her category -- rap recording of the year, for her album It's Called Life -- that night in Halifax, as she wrote in a feature for the Ryersonian not long ago.

Eternia went to the show hoping only to win a little media shine for her worthy latest project, the very personal video for her Love single, which raises awareness for Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

It didn't go down like that. She and other rap nominees (including Kardinal Offishall) got no air time on the show and were awkwardly ignored by reporters and cameras on the red carpet. Reasonably, Eternia, who has things to do, felt like turning up had been a complete waste of time.

At home missing two rehearsals on account of a bad case of the flu, she comments that the total lack of attention afforded her during the lengthy televised tribute to Chad Kroeger's "Alberta waterfall" mane is not a problem specific to hiphop artists.

"A lot of music genres weren't shown love on the air date -- and that includes international music and soul music. It was just an issue of having the decency and common respect to let people know before they fly all the way to Halifax that that's what's going to happen."

But the MC, who recently rocked shows in Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris with Supastition and Cesar Comanche, admits jadedly that she should have known.

"I'm not gonna look at the Juno judicial committee and say it's their fault. Numbers alone dictate that hiphop artists will probably never be able to gain huge success in Canada, just period."

"K-os really isn't a good example. He sings. You're introduced into a whole different world out there when you sing.

"But when it comes to what hiphop artists generally do, which is to rap, not sing, realistically if you look at the numbers -- take the population of Canada and divide that by how many people might actually be the 'urban market' for hiphop music -- you can't really have a positive outlook, you know what I'm saying?" she laughs.

Fortunately for hiphop lovers, Eternia's continued energy arises from nothing but a positive attitude, one shared by enough others to spawn rap love-ins like the surefire one Saturday at the El Mo: the Academy's second HipHop History Club "Live Mixtape" Tribute Show, a continuous live homage to 90s classics.

Eternia will rock her own version of a surprise banger, as will a host of rhyming incredibles including Abdominal, Zaki, Masia One, Mindbender, Van Khanh and DMC World Champion DJ Dopey.

In a recent post on the TMOTT message board, a local rapper lamented the lack of support that DC rappers receive from their hometown area. One poster said that she didn’t support it because it “sucked,” while several replied that DC-area rappers didn’t rep DC by either their sound or their fashion. Kevin “Kato” Hammond, publisher and founder of TMOTT, responded that not only did DC rappers not have their own sound like New York, the Dirty South, and the West Coast, but that the sound identified with DC is the go-go, or live music sound. Since too many local rappers simply refuse to embrace the live, go-go sound that is affiliated with DC, they are in turn, not embraced by DC. Recently, I got a chance to revisit Takoma Station on a Tuesday night to catch Whop-N-Em, one such band that is doing just that—embracing the sound of DC by combining live music with hip-hop. But, as rapper Tony Blunt frequently reminds you throughout the evening, “Warning! This is not a go-go band.”

Whop-N-Em is the brainchild of 32-year old Seat Pleasant, MD native Whop Craig. “Whop” is a childhood nickname, that later came to stand for Wisdom, Hope, Opportunity and Peace. Asked how Whop became “Whop-N-Em,” he explains, “I don’t necessarily like the name. Never did, but it’s what’s real.” He explained that the name came from people on the street. “Every time they see me, they don’t’ know who I’m with. I’m with so many different people that they say ‘Whop N Em,’ ‘cause they don’t know who it is in the back of the car.”

In 1998, Influenced by his best friend Brewmasta Da-F, Hiphop took over. And soon the first hiphop beat was created. The lyrics where written, but the track is never recorded as school and other stuff got in the way.

After 2 years of not creating any kind of music, nykro decided to pick up producing music again. A lot of loops where created, but in 2001 only 10 beats where finished. nykro made ApPROXIMATELY 150 loops in 2 yeARS. tHEN HE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO LET THE WORLD KNOW OF HIS EXISTENCE AND THAT HE WAS READY.

aNOTHER 2 YEARS PASSED BY, WITH A LOT OF PRODUCTIVITY AND GOOD FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WHO KNEW WHAT THEY WHERE TALKING ABOUT. nOW IT WAS TIME TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE. lOCAL RAPPER zira (member of de-pressie) WAS the MAN he needed. Right now the DPC (De-Pressie) album is getting finished and Nykro is ready for the next project.

As one of the most innovative rap artists in New Zealand and the man at the forefront of New Zealand’s underground movement, Cyphanetik and his label Breakin Wreckwordz, has opened the doors for an entirely new wave of conscious, intelligent, and thought provoking local hip hop.

Cyphanetik started to take his chosen path as an MC seriously at the age of 18 whilst living in London. Working for AFSS (African Family Support Services) he travelled to less fortunate neighbourhoods and performed to under age audiences throughout London. Cyphanetik moved back to New Zealand after his UK experience and started working with Fifth Floor front man, MC Tourettes.

Hip-hop music in the local music scene has been around as early as 1989. But after the rap hysteria of the time took a back seat and during the height of the 90's rock era, a new hip-hop group came along, with more of a Brooklyn sounding approach compared to the early sound of Pinoy hip-hop that came out during the late 80's-early 90's. From the south of Manila came Sun Valley Crew, with their nice, smooth and groovy style of rap. Unlike the early Pinoy hip-hop songs that came out, theirs was more elitist in nature, not for the "masa" crowd. Launched by Universal Records in 1996 with their self-titled debut, they were soon recognized in the hip-hop scene as one of the more serious hip-hop artists around. This was followed up with their second album also under Universal entitled "Reality Check… A New Beginning" in 1998. By 2001, they had released their third but first independent offering, "It's All Natural."

G-Masta has taken up the mantle in Korea as the No. 1 anti Japanese rapper (formerly held by rapper DJ Doc) with the new song ‘Tokyo is Our Land’ (도쿄는 우리땅) in the album, ‘1.ST memory of G’.

I am not going to take the time to translate this one (if someone will do it for me, I would be greatful!) but I have included the Korean lyrics below. Use your imagination anyway - it basically says “Dokdo belongs to Japan, and Tokyo belongs to us”, followed by numerous well known Korean racial slurs directed at Japanese people.

C-BLO AND SKINNY C.: Becoming more and more fake famous in Bakersfield are local aspiring rappers C-Blo and Skinny C. Mostly because their rap video for their song "Armpit of the State" is hilarious. Sure, it's not genre-breaking by any means, but it's a good time to be had by all.

'HERE WE GO, here's a bit of a history lesson for ya." We're backstage at the Manning Bar at Sydney University with Munki Mark, Aboriginal MC, former member of mixed-race Sydney hip-hop collective South West Syndicate. He is waiting to do his sound check for Klub Koori, Sydney's first indigenous hip-hop showcase, billed as "contemporary musical storytelling from an indigenous perspective".

"It all started in Redfern about 23 years ago," continues Mark, a fair-skinned Koori, now 38, his bespectacled, bleached-blond appearance giving him an unconventionally learned air:

"A few of the boys were into breakdancing. I wasn't really into it. I was just hanging around a bit there. My mum lives in Bankstown and a few of us Koori fellas out there would come into Redfern and see what was going on. Breakdancing was a big thing so finally I started getting into it. And then it went on to graffiti, and we had a bit of a crew in Redfern called Black Connection. Then we moved on into a music sort of thing and we started doing rhyming. So yeah, that's how it all started."

Novelty songs continue to be the fad of the day in local music. Everywhere you go, whether you're riding a jeepney, taxi cab, or bus, eating in a cannderia, or shopping at a mall or department store, you would always hear these songs. The people from social class D&E or simply known as the masa such as drivers, housemaids, and street vendors enjoy this kind of music. However popular these novelty songs may be, their
lyrics consisting of double meaning and nonsense words are deepiy alarming. Some examples of these novelty songs are the ultra-popular Ocho-ocho, Spageti and Bulaklak, which have catchy tunes but have sexually suggestive lyrics.

Aside from resorting to lyrics with double meaning, some local songs teach moral values.

Kid tapper Aikee's album entitled "Ang Bawat Bata" belongs to this category. Most of the cuts in this 18-track album follow the sing-song, almost predictable beats, which is expected because they are mostly rap songs.

The use of skits as interlude to every song is evident. There are skits that give advice and messages of support from the Idol ko ss Kap cast, a TV sitcom where Aikee is a regular. In the skit "Skit Ko - Aikee's Shoutouts," Aikee thanks his musical director, parents, his Idol ko si Kap costars, and many others who supported him. The skit smacks of stuff actors and actresses recite as they render thanksgiving speeches when they win awards. It's probably a preparation for bigger things in Aikee's singing career.

Many of the tracks are agreeable to the average listener's taste.

What sets Aikee's album apart from most novelty songs polluting our air waves today is its positive message. Contrary to popular perception of rap songs, most of the tracks have serious and feel-good themes such as respect for elders, maintaining good relationship with people, following our parents' instructions, everyday childhood experiences, etc. 'Pakinggan Mo" and "Salamat" are two of such songs. The song
"Pakinggan Mo" talks about a person's wish to hear his apology and his wish to reconcile with his enemies. The beat in the song is somewhat slow and sentimental, has minimal rapping, and the giri who was a featured artist in this song has a cool and soothing voice. You would really feel the sincerity of the person that he is indeed sorry for his wrongdoings. In the track "Salamat", Aikee thanks his parents for taking care of him and being there always ready to support him. The song was enhanced by a relaxing acoustic instrumental. The album has also a good rendition of the classic "Bawat Bata" (carrier single), which has a very positive message that every child has the riqht to be respected and that they are the future of our country. The listener will enjoy the use of nursery rhymes in the background, which is both appropriate and refreshing.

Generally, Aikee's album is commendable because of its presentation of our treasured cultural values. This is the albums greatest merit.

Other tracks on Aikee's debut album under Alpha Music are "Ganito Kasimple", "Laro Tayo", "lO Bilin Ni Tatay", "Super B", "Message from D Senator," "Kahit Bata Pa Ako", "Blazin (Madd World Radio)", "Di Ba", "Superboy", "Pa Pam Pam", "Advise ni Atty. Leo", "Badboy", "Not Allowed in the Club", "Sino Sasali?" and "Skit Ko!"

Gangsta Rap Is Hip Hop
By: Immortal Technique

The connection between Revolution and Gangsta Rap is not only unquestionable in my mind but also historically speaking. So much so that I'm forced to begin to elaborate on it now as I go to more prisons, juvenile centers and schools to talk with young people with uncertain futures about the industry. They ask me about the messages and images in the music. They ask about the origins of this street sound that seems to define what they see as their life and destiny.

It is therefore my duty to remind them the way I must remind myself and all of you that even though I'm in my twenties, I am old enough to remember being in grade school and hearing the Ice Cube albums, Public Enemy, NWA, The Geto Boyz, Ice-T, and others. They, and those behind the scenes at the time, created projects that defined their prospective region for their hard-core sound but much more so for their rebellious nature, storytelling and political discourse. Just like most of our originators (RUN DMC didn’t start Hip Hop) Schoolly D is often overlooked as the person who in the mid 1980’s actually carved a niche and started to include these hardcore gangsta phrases into his music. But the expansion of the type of sound he made and the vivid imagery of the streets created by others such as Melle Mel helped the 80’s and early 90’s Hip Hop Artists take these building block concepts and become master masons of words. I personally always loved it-- curses, crazy concepts and all but I could see how some people who are not familiar with the culture of Hip hop could be apprehensive. They are filled with vulgarity, they're disrespectful to women, and they are horribly violent, but tell me isn't Revolution sometimes the same way? It's not what we would like it to be, because now more than ever it is romanticized and idealized. But even for the most just-cause there are innocent people that are killed or imprisoned and the theater of war always has a rape scene regardless of how beautiful the victory parade is weeks or year's later celebrating newfound freedom.

So please don't feed me Mythology and liberal bullshit about the nature of Revolution. It is often bloody and it's not always a surgical strike fueled by the political ego of a military coup. Many times it is done by the people themselves. Not “Professional Revolutionaries” rather, it's done by kids who are fed up with the world their parents and grandparents have left them. Sometimes these youth are manipulated altogether by other countries (ahem CIA) and special interest groups that see them as a way to gain economically and rise to power (ahem a correlation to Record labels)... But anger against the system and it's constant oppression is the cause of these words and actions. Gangsta Rap was another form of Revolutionary music-- it reached the unreachable, regardless of age, race, creed or gender. It taught the un-teachable. It made me (who at the time was hustlin', robbin' and stealing) truly listen because I felt like these people who were in the streets, who I could identify with, were talking about a world I could see but never had explained to me.

For example when I heard The Geto Boys' album We Can't be Stopped, Ice-T’s O.G., Ice Cube's Amerikkka'z Most Wanted and KRS-1’s Criminal Minded it made a strong impression of how the world really was. As I said before, it stated what I knew but could not articulate well yet. Also interesting is that Criminal Minded was considered Gangsta Rap (or as it was called then- “Reality Rap”) at the time but now (like the rest of these albums should be) is classified as being Revolutionary. Similarly, Public Enemy is renowned for being Revolutionary but is not considered Gangsta even though they had a violent and extremely aggressive attitude towards dealing with the government and its hypocritical foreign policy and urban domestic failures. Albums and artists like these and the works of people such as the legendary Kool G Rap who redefined wordplay though are not the face of gangsta rap today. Even the social commentaries that were found hidden among the genius musical works of Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg are absent from the scene after the turn of the Millennium. And even though we always hear this theme repeated about the very nature of Hip Hop and how it has evolved or de-evolved some would say, if you look at Gangsta Rap now and then back then, the Revolutionary element is for the most part completely sanitized by the corporate structure.

Although I named mostly West Coast and Down South Artists, the East Coast had just as many Gangsta Rappers only we looked at them differently because they were not as openly affiliated with any noticeable gangs such as the Bloods and Crips. After all, New York’s Urban Empire was built upon street crews and educated hood syndicates such as the 5% nation at the time much more than colored rags even though some had several ties to local organized crime. (i.e.: Just-Ice, Wu-Tang, DITC, Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep Black Moon to name a few...) But just remember that all areas whether they were the East, West, South, or Mid-West that even their most brutal musical origin are inseparable from the ideological Revolution that spawned them in the minds of urban youth. A factoid of information probably purposely forgotten through the years is that before it was labeled “Gangsta Rap” by the industry itself it was called “Reality Rap” by those individuals that created it, therefore that being the point of origin there is no way it cannot return to that, it just has to be done correctly.

Reality Rap, or as we know it now Gangsta rap, can be very Revolutionary, although Revolution is very rarely a part of the BUSINESS side of any genre of music and more specifically Hip Hop. Revolutionaries work for the people. They take it upon themselves to dedicate their passion, love and hard work for the cause. But without the direction of a vision and those that would have grown any sort of true leadership skills they are essentially the horse from Animal Farm. While the average Gangsta is not motivated by the community, but rather capital gain and avarice, the average rapper reflects the survivalist attitude often overblown and exaggerated into greed rather than any proletariat example. But it is because these young soldiers have no self identification and no knowledge of their people and that's why they cling to the imagery of 3rd world warlords, drug kingpins, and well known members of the Italian and Jewish Mafia. They emulate characters written by script writers and not the heroes of their own people. The argument can be made that they don't know them, but many times though they are familiar with the names of our Revolutionary heroes and have some idea of their impact they don't see their example as relevant in our daily lives.

Think about it... we can even name a Black basketball player or a Latino Baseball player before coming close to naming a Doctor or a Scientist of the same ethnic background. Our youth and young adults see these gangstas and other ruthless men as powerful beyond the scope of a government that holds them prisoner. People emulate their oppressor and worship those that defy him openly. That's why they don't respect a college graduate as much as a gang leader in the street or someone who survives prison unfortunately. They don't see assimilation within the system as the type of achievement that could lead beyond the scope. And even though we may reach for the stars, the glass ceiling doesn't even let us see the country around us let alone the world from the roof of our projects. All we see is the immediate route (which is wrong) and it becomes viable but understandable so, as this is not a criticism of young people today or people of color but of all OUR people today.

Remember also that the average Gangsta in the streets is not a boss he/she is a mid level manager of a criminal industry in which they own no stocks. They would be more like a little piglet or a dog in animal farm, not a big hog like the people who embezzle billions out of Iraq, War profiteers, Stock scammers, Corrupt CEO's, Renegade Lawyers, Publishing Giants, Record Label Monopolies, Global Conglomerate executives, Senators, Congressman, and local politicians. These are not just real gangsters, they are the realest in the world, the most powerful, the ones who don't need to step to you in front of a Bodega or write a song about you because they ruin lives, crush families and whole sections of society with an ink stroke from the top of a huge building. In other countries like Colombia and Brazil there is such a division between this class of people and the average citizen that the economic aristocracy has to travel from rooftop to secured rooftop on a helicopter rather than go out in the street!!!

You can see that as good or bad, pathetic, indicative of society... but that's gangsta.

And Hip Hop is a reflection of that.

Because it's our culture where we are now, and though it may not be where we want to be, especially not the people who read this... but if we do not acknowledge where we are then there is no point of reference or origin as I stated before to get where we need to go. (I had an old movie on bootleg called Stargate and the beginning of it explains this concept simply.) If we have to change the petty image of a crack dealer being held in the highest esteem then you must have a replacement for our youngest adolescents, not just Malcolm and Che, because they don't have any movies out right now. And this society is built on fast moving, split screen, ADD causing imagery and sound. Our true heroes don't have too many DVD’s out and they aren't being blasted into the airwaves, why do you think Tupac is still canonized in the hood?!?!?!? Even though he's been dead for 10 years he still sells more records than most other artists because he was a Gangsta Rapper in the truest sense of the Revolutionary doctrine. He made Reality Rap and put forth the example of a people’s legacy that went back beyond slavery and colonization where our history starts to get fuzzy. Our children should have heroes back home where we originate from, and ones that are prisoners of the system and fighting against it today. We should have people that are not glorified on T-shirts as often but who fought for independence celebrated more and studied, not just to examine their success but to learn from their failures.

But real the reason we do not have them as an example is that those predecessors of Revolution today are not on the corner of our neighborhoods being marketed to us, that’s why the average artist today no matter how manufactured their corporate bought thug image may be, are seen as legitimate by the youth.

After all you cannot just ask us to read a book, first we need to learn to read. I see that now.

Remember sometimes a Revolutionary has to do things that resemble a gangsta’s behavior. I myself have done things of that nature, not to call that a positive thing but we cannot ignore the fact that a closed mouth doesn't get fed. And most of the people that talk about Hip Hop for the love and just for music are usually getting paid while they want you to do things for free for exposure. We need to protect our people and sometimes we confront people who mistake us for ignorant hoodrats so my soldiers and warriors are strong and their resolve steadfast. I have often heard Frank Sinatra and others from that time criticized for having mob ties, but tell me who didn’t back then? Whether the music industry likes to admit it or not, Gangsters did not come into play when Black and Brown people started talking about Violence the mafia has always played a role in the music business. Not to excuse his tactics, but when people focus on Suge Knight all the time (the quintessential criminal involved in music) that’s laughable considering he wasn’t half as connected, ruthless or well paid as some of his predecessors who were not Black or as high profile. That’s not playing the race card son, that’s real talk. The business of this music after all was not built for the faint of heart, the weak minded or those who lack the ability to make decisions that have consequences. For the latter is the true definition of power.

Therefore a Gangsta can become a Revolutionary. It is a progressive step and a life changing process that forever restructures an individual such as Malcolm X and founding members of the Zulu Nation. However, a Revolutionary that becomes a gangsta is usually one that has become corrupted by power. A gangsta is in the business of extortion, gambling, murder, and prostituting our greatest resource and the soul of our people, our women. This is often achieved through glorified violence rather than fighting bitterly against an opponent that keeps them locked in their petri dish of a life. So tell me; how could that not corrupt anyone? If the strategy of using our position to fight a real enemy with violent tactics is driven by capital gain it is even more dangerous with the focus of accomplishing altruistic goals. But even in failure and that fall from grace there is the inspiration for other to continue the work. After the warriors of old have past there must be the young among us that rise to become greater than we could ever imagine in the 21st Century. For true greatness revolves much more around being consistently good rather and take personal responsibility as a people. Power without that perception is meaningless.

Fight hard my people. And learn your true history.

I look forward to seeing many more of my young soldiers rise to mature and become Warriors of all kinds, those move past their egos of being famous for being rappers and singers and control aspects of the hardworking industry, distribution, radio work, printers, engineers, CD manufacturing, graphics, independent media published and especially on the web!!!, IF we embedded ourselves in all these things to favor the Hip Hop we see as addressing real issues HALF as much as these industry roaches suck dick for some fake shit to make a dollar, we would push our agendas much further and to carry forth the true meaning of Reality Rap that became known as Gangsta Rap which can never forsake its Revolutionary origin.

And so, to my Revolutionaries of all walks of life...

Peace & Respect in the New Year...

Immortal
Technique
_________________
"Vulnerability is power."
(saul williams)

also this one really 'tarded dude on the show (how can you tell? they're all tards) has a hugo chavez shirt. DO WANT.

jus rhymes needs to be voted off straight away

lol @ kool keith not really paying attention to the songs when he was supposed to be judging them uh i give that one abt an 8, and the other one is not um that far behind... you ladies are wearing lovely outfits

all of 'em look like heavy meth tweakers.

my mom joked about naming me Bowen. last name D@rrow.