The True School Park Jam Series is becoming one of my favorite video documentaries around. This is a trailer for the upcoming episode which will feature Afrika Bambaataa, Kool DJ Red Alert, and The Original Jazzy Jay reuniting on the wheels of steel for the first time in over 25 years. If you like this, check out the last episode featuring Biz Markie and Kid Capri.

Big ups to Mark Carranceja and Noisemaker Media for sending this video over. This is their most recent episode of The True School Park Jam Series featuring Biz Markie and Kid Capri.

One of the things I love about New York City’s underground hip-hop scene is that it extends beyond music and into community. In fact, most of the local hip-hop artists I know are teachers, educators, mentors or involved in the community in some form or fashion. This is best illustrated through Urban Art Beat, a music and art based workshop directed at under-served youth in NYC. Above is a video about Urban Art Beat.

Super big ups for the homie BeatRoot for sending this over. I ain’t gonna lie though, when I saw that dude had just sent me a mixtape from some French hip-hop artists, I chuckled a little. But once I actually listened to the album, I realized that these cats got skillz. Fantastic Planet is a French hip-hop group who apparently teamed up with some U.S. emcees and turntablists to create this mixtape. Click below to download Fantastic Planet’s “Fantastic JJ Project” mixtape for FREE:

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Distrakt is one of my favorite underground emcees. Recently, he’s been doing a lot of work with Sedgwick and Cedar. This video walks you through his newest creation, a FREE downloadable interactive study of the history of hip-hop. Dope and educational.

With President Obama pushing to create millions of new “green-collar” jobs, being eco-conscious might not just be a good idea, it may become a lucrative one as well. But buying organic, starting your own garden and living the sustainable life can be expensive, and for many people, it might feel as though the green movement is a nice but unavailable crusade that has all but passed them by. (more…)

The Maqusi Towers in Gaza City look a bit like US housing projects. The neighborhood consists of several tall apartment buildings grouped together in the northern part of town. It is also ground zero for Gaza’s growing Hip-Hop community. On a recent evening in one small but well-decorated apartment, a dozen rappers and their friends and families relaxed, danced, smoked flavored tobacco, and rapped the lyrics to some of their songs. (more…)

Dallas, TX – Healthcare remains a critical national issue yet first it is a personal one that requires an individual to be proactive. This July that issue of being proactive takes center stage as Rickey Smiley, Mayor Pro-Tem Dwaine Caraway, KBFB 97.9 The Beat, The City of Dallas and The MLK, Jr. Family Clinic launch their awareness initiative throughout the Metroplex with an annual event to educate the community on the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. The Second Annual Hip Hop for HIV concert will take place on July 12 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Palladium Ballroom. (more…)

The United Nations has launched a trust fund to build a permanent memorial for victims of slavery, and appointed entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons as a Goodwill Ambassador to promote the project.

A 2007 General Assembly resolution designated 25 March as an annual day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and called for a permanent memorial to be erected at UN Headquarters to acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy of slavery. (more…)

New Haven, CT – When Edo. G told hundreds of teenagers to respect the police, there were some audible snickers. Then he started rapping. Pretty soon the auditorium full of high-school students was on their feet with hands in the air, nodding their heads to as he preached nonviolence.

Hip-hop artist Edo. G, known offstage as Ed Anderson, performed at Yale on Wednesday along with another members of the Boston-based rap group, 4Peace. High school students from six southern Connecticut towns — including several New Haven high schools — filled Yale’s Woolsey Hall to hear Edo.G and his partner Twice Thou, a.k.a. Antonio Ennis. Through video, music, and questions and answers, the pair of rappers sent a message: stay away from guns and violence, or end up in jail. (more…)