Obama ‘08!

Cornel West’s last project, “Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations,” was off the hook - so I expect a lot this upcoming collaboration as well. Footage is from studio sessions of The Cornel West Theory’s “Second Rome” - coming soon, which will feature West on every track.

In celebration of Halloween, I decided to post this track. Frankenstein is by Portland emcee Braille, and produced by Symbolyc One of Strange Fruit Project fame. Click below to listen:

And have a happy Halloween!

As the election draws near, presidential candidates and celebrities alike are mobilizing to earn votes in critical states like Ohio. And Wednesday was no different at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Cavaliers guard LeBron James and rapper/businessman Jay-Z played host to a full house of basketball, rap music and Barack Obama supporters at a Last Chance for Change rally. Tickets for the event were free.

Some were there to celebrate the Obama campaign, while others gathered to hear rap verses. Before the lights dimmed and the show began, numerous pro-Obama shirts could be seen. One featured the phrase ”Barackstar 08,” while another had a massive hand on the front and the words ”Bye, McCain” on the back. (more…)

From recent release “The Only Color That Matters is Green.”

From Mac’s Rhymesayers release “11:11.”

This week’s underground hip-hop track of the week is Rugged N Raw’s Life Purpose, off his new album “Truth Serum.” Life Purpose is a poetic lyrical track that deals with the untimely death of RNR’s pops, a teenage abortion, and dealing with his mother’s miscarriage. Click below to listen to the track:

And be sure to follow along with the lyrics after the break. (more…)

Ever since Barack Obama became a serious contender for Democratic Party nomination, numerous rappers have lent their voices in support of his campaign. Since his nomination, the excitement has only increased. Certainly, this is not the first time that hip-hop artists have encouraged their fans to vote. Rappers have been involved with MTV’s “Rock the Vote” (a campaign to encourage young people to register to vote) since the 1990s. In 2004, rappers Sean “Diddy” Combs and 50 Cent led the “Vote or Die” campaign that was more specifically aimed at the hip-hop audience, but there damn sure weren’t any hip-hop artists writing inspired anthems about John Kerry’s candidacy.

The support for Obama among rappers is something entirely different, with multi-platinum artist Jay-Z doing free concerts for the Obama campaign in swings states like Florida, and rapper and music producer Kanye West actually doing a “remix” of Obama’s Iowa victory speech set to soft hip-hop style background music. Also, there are numerous popular songs referencing, if not dedicated to, Obama. (more…)

Two more reasons to pick up Homeboy Sandman’s new album “Actual Factual Pterodactyl.” Picked this up at Grandgood’s YouTube spot.

  Rating:
  Review Date: October 27, 2008
  Website: Metermaids Website
  Label: 27 Sound Entertainment, Inc.

Metermaids “Nightlife” Album Review
The Metermaids are made up of two emcees, Sentence and Swell, who give one of the best live performances in the NYC underground. The past couple of years, I’ve constantly found myself at shows they’ve opened – and have been so impressed that I’ve now become a regular at shows they’re headlining as well. So when I got my hands on their album “Nightlife,” I just knew it was going to be dope. (more…)