Hip-Hop News

Tumwater, WA – Derrick Brown, a sophomore at South Sound High School, said the hip-hop music he created and performed used to be about “gangs and drugs and stuff.” But Brown, who took part last week in a music workshop to create a performing group and CD focused on making good choices, said his own current experiences in substance-abuse recovery already has become of part of the music he creates.

He said that the True North Music Mentors program was a natural fit for him. “I’ve been changing my style and what I write about,” Brown said. “I feel like this program can spread that message.” Several dozen students from high schools in Olympia, North Thurston and Tumwater districts collaborated on hip-hop tracks in a music academy last week. (more…)

Hip Hop legends X-Clan have debuted the track “Down By Law” online at www.myspace.com/xclanmusic, from their upcoming new studio album “Mainstream Outlawz”, which is slated for a January 27th, 2009 release through Suburban Noize Records. The album takes aim at those planning Hip Hop’s Funeral.

The foundation for “Mainstream Outlawz” was built over a year long period with Brother J venturing into the heart of Houston, TX to re-ignite hip hop’s flame. The move brought out bouts of intense creativity bolstered by Brother J and his collaborators love for music. (more…)

San Francisco, CA – Fleetwood talks fast. Words pour out of him like water from a fire hose. As he stalks down Tenderloin streets, people standing in doorways nod their greetings. “Hey, nephew,” he says, almost invariably. “I’ve known these Cambodian boys since they were little,” he says, walking by a group of young men loitering near a street corner. “I try not to be here when it’s dark, though. I’ve got to remember: I’m an ex-dope dealer, an ex-dope fiend and an ex-convict.”

Fleetwood, 45, grew up on these streets. “This is where my story is,” he says, striding down the street, looking good behind his wraparound shades. He is a short man wearing a gray hoodie sweatshirt so large it threatens to engulf him. “This is my home. But I’m vulnerable here, too, so I have to be careful. I had some wild times down here. The Tenderloin is a dangerous place.” (more…)

Hialeah Gardens, FL – Some South Florida children will not have to go without this holiday season thanks to a toy drive which is taking place Friday morning. Hip Hop superstar Pitbull, along with his foundation Imaginate, has teamed up with Power 96, and the Florida Marlins to help make the season bright for kids in need at a toy drive in Hialeah Gardens.

Pitbull has donated $5,000 worth of toys and is personally collecting new, unwrapped toys at the Wal-Mart in Hialeah Gardens. He’s also signing autographs for fans who donate toys at the toy drive. The overall goal for the toy drive is to supply 1,000 kids with toys this holiday season. All of the toys will be donated to the Amigos for Kids Foundation. (more…)

On Thursday, November 20, Immortal Technique will perform live on stage at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge, returning to the Bay to raise funds in support of a badly needed orphanage and medical center in war torn Afghanistan.

Working closely with human rights advocacy organization, Omeid International, Technique’s performance raises funds earmarked for developing the Amin institute in Kabul – where some of the two million orphaned and 60,000 homeless children of Afghanistan will receive full-scale rehabilitation from the devastating effects of war.  

Besides just doing the benefit show the hip hop artist Immortal Technique is pledging $10,000 of his own money and is traveling to the war torn heartland of Afghanistan to assure the final stages of construction are completed. (more…)

In 2004, Barack Obama arrived in Boston as a freshman senator from Illinois to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. Tomorrow, three of the city’s biggest hip-hop representatives hope to usher in his presidency. Edo G, Slaine and Akrobatik will take the stage at the Middle East with beats, rhymes and hope for an Obama victory at an Election Day concert tomorrow night.

“No politician in my lifetime ever inspired me as much as Obama,” said South Boston native Slaine – one-third of Boston rhyme squad Special Teamz, which also includes Edo G. “He’s our generation’s JFK or Bobby Kennedy. He’s a culmination of Martin Luther King and all these things that have been shut out of politics.” (more…)

Panama is a musical crossroads, a silk road of beats, tempos and rhythms reflecting the country’s unique geography that has brought political calamity as well as a rich diversity. But it’s a country few in the United States know much news about. One place to start might be the Oakland-Panamanian hip-hop duo of Ricardo Guillam Bethancourt and Abdull Dominguez — aka Los Rakas.

Their first CD “Panabay Twist” is a lesson in the events that have shaped the Latin American country that celebrated its 105th year of independence yesterday. One of the most significant was the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama City to oust military dictator Manuel Noriega — an event recalled in Los Rakas’ song “Invasion of Panama 1989.” (more…)

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…)

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…)

A steady stream of political energy will electrify the flow during tomorrow’s broadcast of the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards. And for one longtime hip-hop activist, the timing couldn’t have been better. “The awards were very political, with every single performer telling the audience to work,” said the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president of the Hip-Hop Caucus, who’s been working closely with rapper T.I., a spokesman for the “Respect My Vote!” voter registration effort.

“T.I. wore a ‘Respect My Vote’ T-shirt . . . [he's] been very much engaged in the political process,” Yearwood told news sources. “T.I. can’t vote [due to his guilty plea last year to several gun charges], and he really wants to make up for that,” Yearwood continued. “He feels he owes a lot of fans in general, so his perspective is to do all he can to teach others about the system, and wants people to learn more about the political process.” (more…)