TIME WILL TELL

From the sloppyness of Mtv reality shows to Soulja Boy's label SODMG, with some good work ethic Houston's rapper Riff Raff could probably have become a pro baller, but he choosed to be into dirty south hip hop instead.
Is this for real or just a viral phenomenon? Only time will tell.

HEROES OF SOUND #1 - MELLE MEL

Melvin Glover was the first rapper ever to call himself "MC" (Master of Ceremony). Other Furious Five members included his brother The Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Scorpio (Eddie Morris), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) & Cowboy (Keith Wiggins). While a member of the group, Cowboy created the term "hip-hop" while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five began recording for Enjoy Records and released "Superrappin'" in 1979. They later moved on to Sugarhill Records and were popular on the R&B charts with party songs, like "Freedom" and The Birthday Party". They released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. In 1982 Melle Mel began to turn to more socially aware subject matter, in particular the Reagan administration's economic (Reaganomics) and drug policies, and their effect on the black community. A song entitled "The Message" became an instant classic and one of the first glimmers of conscious hip-hop. Mel recorded a rap over session musician Duke Bootee's instrumental track "The Jungle". Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin'". Other than Melle Mel, no members of the Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five actually appear on the record. Bootee also contributed vocals (Rahiem was to later lip-sync Bootee's parts in the music video). "The Message" went platinum in less than a month and went on to become arguably the greatest record in hip-hop history. It was the first hip-hop record ever to be added to the United States National Archive of Historic Recordings. Mel would also go on to write songs about struggling life in New York City ("New York, New York"), and making it through life in general ("Survival (The Message 2)"). Grandmaster Flash split from the group after contract disputes between Mele Mel and their promoter Sylvia Robinson in regard to royalties for "The Message". When Flash filed a lawsuit against Sugar Hill Records, their label, the factions of The Furious Five parted.

Mel became known as "Grandmaster Melle Mel" and the leader of the Furious Five. The group went on to produce the anti-drug song "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" (the unofficial music video starred up-and-coming actor Laurence Fishburne and was directed by then unknown film student Spike Lee). The record was falsely credited to "Grandmaster + Melle Mel" by Sugarhill Records in order to fool the public into thinking Grandmaster Flash had participated on the record. Mel then gained higher success appearing in the movie Beat Street, with a song based on the movie's title. He became the first rap artist ever to win a Grammy award for "Record of the Year" after performing a memorable rap on Chaka Khan's smash hit song "I Feel for You" which introduced hip-hop to the mainstream R&B audience. Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five had further hits with "Step Off", "Pump Me Up", "King of the Streets", "Jesse", and "Vice", the latter being released on the soundtrack to the TV show Miami Vice. "Jesse" was a highly political song which urged people to vote for then presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.

In 1988, after an almost 4 year layoff, Mel and Flash reunited and released the album "On The Strength", but with up-and-coming new school artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and Big Daddy Kane dominating the hip-hop market, the album failed miserably. Mel performed with The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew on "King Holiday" aimed at having Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday declared a national holiday. Mel also performed with Artists United Against Apartheid on the anti-apartheid song Sun City aimed at discouraging other artists from performing in South Africa until that government ended its policy of apartheid. Mel ended the decade by winning two more Grammy awards for his work on Quincy Jones "Back On The Block" & "Q - The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" albums...

source: wikipedia

HOW WE SHOULD ROLL

First of all a huge thank you to our big friend Fresh Big Mouf for this very precious hint.

This is not just good hip hop music, this is an injection of positive energy and love. Mista Cookie Jar is a children's music performer/multi-instrumentalist/music & video producer extraordinaire. With his family band, Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips, they've toured all over the US promoting their blend of Urban Island Folky Rock and Roll for the Inner Child. He performs weekly at numerous Los Angeles elementary schools as part of Star Education's W.I.M. (Wonder Imagination Magic) Program. That's how he met LA teacher Mr. Valdez & his class and together started producing their year-long music project, "Room 28 (That's How We Roll)."

The song, which you can download here for free, features all 28 students of the classroom as well as Mr. V on the M-I-C. Both the song and video were crafted together as a class with Mr. Valdez and Mista Cookie Jar every Tuesday in the 2010 to 11 school year.

Now you can continue to listen to gangstas shooting and hustling around, while we go for kids with a big smile of their face. Music is not just about nodding heads, it's also one of the strongest and fastest way to get into people's mind, especially if they're youngsters. Positive music and good education goes together in order to create a better future. That's how we all should roll.

SCHOOLBUS BONUS: Behind the scenes look at the making of the video, this 13 minute mini-documentary takes a closer look at the classroom spirit of the 4th grade students of Room 28 and their beloved teacher, Mr. Valdez.

A BADGE AND A GUN

The long time collaboration between the law enforcements and those fools form Bakerboys bring us the third episode of the Low Life Tour. This time they hit some real underground spots.

LIGHTSOUTH

Atlanta's own Donnis is back with his newest project, Southern Lights, a 13 song free album, presented by Karmaloop and mixed by Nick Catchdubs. With production from the likes of Needlz, Syience, and The Cataracs, and features from the legendary Big Rube, Young Dro, Dev, and more, Southern Lights is rooted in the Atlanta music which first inspired Donnis to pick up a mic.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

WE'RE NOT CONCEITED

Blogging is a bit like djing, selction is the main thing besides mixing and skills, and sometimes I ask myself the meaning of thousands of music blogs and djs all posting and playing the same s**t...
Well, whatever might be the answer, you should have noticed that this is not what we do.
Talking about what we do, today it's flowing abstract hip hop in the air, and it's flowing nice and smooth on a priceless retrogaming video. Enter your password and have a good game.

Now do yourself a favour: jump on itunes and pay your fee to the one and only DJ I-Dee.

ELECTRIFIED BY WATTS

Much more than a singer. Much more than a rapper. Much more than a musician. Much more than a comedian.

Reggie Watts is the man. Period. And to be so he uses just his voice, his sense of humor and a fuckin looping machine.

I just want to introduuuce...

...the ultra oldskoolish funky beatbox with the most hilarious lyrics ever.

TRIPLE BANG

Ok, è di un mesetto fa e probabilmente l'avrete già sentita. Ok, Mark Ronson può essere un personaggio dubbio, ma resta il fatto che questo è uno dei tributi agli anni ottanta più stilosi che siano mai stati fatti. E il groove non è da meno. Se aggiungiamo poi i sublimi vocals dei Business International (ovvero Q-tip e MNDR) l'affare s'ingrossa in maniera esponenziale.

Se per le vostre orecchie pelose tutto ciò non fosse abbastanza funky, non esitate a fare ondeggiare la testa con l'incredibile disco edit dei britannici Rhythm Plate, contenente un gustosissimo e ricercatissimo giro di basso preso da Dreaming di Greg Handerson.

Spero vivamente che ci sia qualcuno a cui non piaccia. Gli lasciamo volentieri Shakira, Tiesto, Lil Wayne e tutto il resto.

Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang (Rhythm Plate's Banging Disco Edit) by rhythmplate

RAY BAN VISION

A-Track nel 1997 aveva 15 anni e sui piatti era già un mostro, tanto da diventare il più giovane dj di sempre a vincere il DMC, il maggiore contest di turntableism al mondo.

Oggi, a 27 anni, è un artista e un producer con decine e decine di successi alle spalle, e non si fà problemi nel mischiare generi e sonorità diverse.

A volte il risultato può lasciare perplessi, ma spesso dal forno escono torte prelibate, come nel caso di quest'ultima ricetta a base di hip hop e elettronica, che sarà una delle traccie della compilation Fool's Gold Vol.1, la prima raccolta di successi dell'omonima etichetta, di cui A-track è co-propietario.

Happy downloading now, happy buying later.

ROCK IT/DON'T STOP IT

Pare che nessuno possa fermare il signor Afrika Bambaataa, che dopo quarant'anni continua la sua spasmodica ricerca del beat perfetto. Per scoprire se lo avrà trovato basta andare questa sera a Venaria, vicino a Torino, per la serata conclusiva del Traffic Free Festival. Nell'attesa lasciamo che la nostalgia, il popping e i robot abbiano il sopravvento.

WE LOVE COURIERS

Viva i corrieri. No, non quelli della droga, ma le grandi società multinazionali che ci permettono di fare acquisti in tutto il mondo e ricevere, a caro prezzo, la nostra bella merce in tempi brevi.
E anche la Reebok li ama, visto che è passata da essere un brand locale britannico a ciò che è oggi anche grazie ai loro servizi.
Hanno quindi deciso di dedicare proprio a loro la loro ultima collezione di Sir Jam Mid, iconico modello da basket degli anni ottanta con tecnologia Hexalite (quella a nido d'ape).
Si chiama "Courier Pack" e con quattro modelli celebra in particolare la DHL, la FedEx, la TNT e l'UPS.
Portano i colori distintivi di ciascuna di queste aziende, ma tutte hanno dei particolari in comune, come l'interno fatto di codici a barre e timbri postali, un lacelock con le ali dorate simbolo dell'Airmail e i lacci a zizag per ricordare gli imballi dei pacchi.
Personalmente opto per la sobrietà ocra-marrone dell'Ups, anche perchè come dice M.I.A. "we pack and deliver like Ups does"

C A N A B A L T

Un click sul banner qua sopra vi farà rivivere in prima persona una scena clichè dei film e telefilm polozzieschi anni 70: l'uomo che fugge sui tetti di una metropoli grigia e decadente.
In Canabalt, gioco in flash dal fascino retrò ora disponibile anche per iphone, bisogna unicamente saltare da un palazzo all'altro al momento giusto. Unici requisti la barra spaziatrice e un bel pò di tempismo.
Tanto semplice quanto efficace.
Se avesse come colonna sonora Sabotage dei Beastie Boys avrebbe potuto essere il gioco dell'anno.

FURIOUS MIND BLOWING

Ieri notte abbiamo avuto la fortuna di non dormire. Abbiamo avuto l'onore di stare svegli ed essere in classe con il professor Kurtis Blow and The Furious Five.
Una manciata di euro e siamo lì a un'altra manciata di metri dai veri pionieri, i padri fondatori del rap, del breakbeat, dell'electric boogie.
Wheels of steel degnamente amplificate, birra che ti gela la mano e giù con il groove più pesante. Uno di quei concerti che quando sei lì in certi momenti realizzi l'epicità di ciò che stai vedendo e sentendo, e con i brividi lungo la schiena pensi che un giorno lo racconterai ai tuoi nipoti. E che per tutta la vita rimpiangerai di non aver avuto con tè la tua dannata videocamera.

"It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder
How I keep from going under AH HUH-HUH-HUH"

. . . ahhh the good ol'days . . .