_Welcome_ to the HOTtest, FWESHest, DOPEst online HIP HOP magazine
Thoughts on Hip Hop...
Lately Ive been jamming to alot of old school hip hop, in my journey to get familiar with my culture. If I could give you a task for this week , I tell ya to hit up some old school hip hop katz like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Run Dmc or even this month's classic Wu Tang Clan. Hear the stories they tell through their music. Furthermore take time to think about how hip hop has grown in the past 20 years. It personally fill me up with pride to reflect on hip hop's progression.
*Leboo.Cosmo*
Lately Ive been jamming to alot of old school hip hop, in my journey to get familiar with my culture. If I could give you a task for this week , I tell ya to hit up some old school hip hop katz like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Run Dmc or even this month's classic Wu Tang Clan. Hear the stories they tell through their music. Furthermore take time to think about how hip hop has grown in the past 20 years. It personally fill me up with pride to reflect on hip hop's progression.
*Leboo.Cosmo*
RAPPER OF THE MONTH
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Birth date: 8 June 1977 (33)
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United State
• Kanye was born in Atlanta, Georgia but moved to Chicago when he was three after his parents got divorced. His mother was an English professor at Clark Atlanta University and his father is a former Black Panther, who’s now a Christian counsellor.
• Kanye enrolled at Chicago State University but dropped out to pursue music. While at school he produced for local artists but later gained fame as a producer by producing for the likes of Talib Kweli, Jay-z, and Cam’ron, to mention a few. Kanye has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced his production style.
• West got his big break through producing numerous tracks off Jay –z’s critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, like the lead single “Izzo (H.O.V.A)”, Kanye soon after became known a major producer in hip hop.
• On October 23, 2002, West was involved in a near fatal car accident while driving home from studio. The crash inspired hit tracks like “Through the wire” and “Jesus walks” which appear on his debut album The College Dropout.
• Kanye’s trademark and mascot is a “Dropout Bear” which appears on 3 of his album covers.
• Kanye has stated on several occasions that outside of work, he enjoys listening to rock music over hip-hop. He names, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers as some of his most favorite musical groups.
• After a two-year break from music, West returned back to the scene, as a fashion columnist in the lifestyle magazine Complex.
• In May 2007, West split from long-time model girlfriend Alexis Rainey. The couple was engaged for 18 months. Later that year Kanye’s mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving breast augmentation. In an interview in New Zealand Kanye for the first time spoke about his mother’s death saying “It was like losing an arm and a leg and trying to walk through that”.
• Earlier this year, he make his very first animated television guest appearance, on a new animated television series titled The Cleveland Show. Kanye was the voice "Kenny West", a rival of Cleveland Brown's son. In his first episode he performed a rap battle with Cleveland’s son.
The (good) money:
• In August 2008, Kanye revealed plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in the Chicago area although the process is still being finalized. His company, KW Foods LLC, bought the rights to the franchise in Chicago.
• He has also worked with Nike to release his own shoe, Air Yeezys.
• Early 2009, during Paris Fashion Week, he introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton. The shoe line was released later that year.
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Discography:
• The College Dropout (February, 2004), the album was certified triple platinum. It defined the sound for which Kanye would become known by, including wordplay and sampling. The album went on to receive Grammys for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for “Jesus walks”.
• Late Registration (August, 2005), the album sold 860 000 copies in its first week and later went on to be certified triple platinum like his debut album. The album earned 8 Grammy nominations winning only 3 which were Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song for “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and Best Rap Solo Performance for “Gold Digger”.
• Graduation (September, 2007) the album was released the same day as 50 Cent’s album Curtis. The two rappers had a challenge on who would sell the most, with 50 even saying that he would quit rap if Kanye’s Graduation was to sell more, regardless to say Kanye’s Graduation did sell more, selling 957,000 copies in its first week of release, making it the highest first week sales in Def Jam History , while Curtis sold 691,000 copies in its first week of release. The album went on to being certified double platinum. Like Late Registration Kanye was nominated for 8 Grammys but this time he won 4 of them including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for “Stronger”, Best Rap Performance by a Duo for “Southside” featuring Common and Best Rap Song for “Good life”.
• 808s & Heartbreak (November, 2008), the album was #1 on numerous charts, even though it’s first week sales were less than half of the first week sales of Graduation with 450,145 copies sold. The album was Kanye’s most emotional album with tracks like “See You I My Nightmare”, “Heartless” and “Love Lockdown”. The album received mixed reviews, with some critiquing him for making an auto tune album.
• Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), Kanye has spent most of this year in Hawaii working on his 5th album, which is said to be released on the 16 November 2010. The first single of the album is a track called “Power” which features Dwele. At this year’s VMA’s he premiered the next single from the album called “Runaway”, shortly after the awards Kanye revealed that he is working on a 40 minute short film based on the song, the film is about a fallen phoenix whom Kanye falls in love with.
Controversy:
• On 2 September 2005, during a telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief, Kanye was a featured speaker. Controversy arose when he was presenting, and instead of saying the prepared script he said “George Bush doesn't care about black people.” At this point, the telethon producer cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker.
• In January 2006, he again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.
• On 9 September 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with him being overlooked for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, "Maybe my skin’s not right.” That night of the awards he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, after the show he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again.
• On 13th September 2009, during the 2009 VMA’s while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, Kanye went on stage and grabbed the microphone to declare that Beyonce’s video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time". He was later removed from the remainder of the show for his actions. In September of this year Kanye wrote tweets apologising to Taylor Swift, he also revealed that he had written a song for her, and if she didn’t accept it she would perform it herself.
ProFashional
the scoop on whats poppn in hip hop fashion
Fashion icon of the month:
Most people know Teyana from her debut single “Goggle me” or her 16th birthday party on “My Super Sweet 16” when she made her grand entrance in a Barbie box, wearing a tutu with sneakerz, but few people know that she is actually signed to Pharrell’s Star Trek Entertainment as one of his artists. I find Teyana to be the fweshest dressed female in hip hop. Her mixture of old skool meets skater, with a twist of girliness is what makes her stand out and also the reason why she’s this month’s FASHION ICON.
Brand of the month:
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IM A KOOL KID
Is a hot clothing label that started as a t-shirt brand but has ventured out into hoodies and is said to be working on dropping shoes, wallets and jewellery. The brand made such a buzz when it came out, to the extent that in its first month there were bootlegs of the t-shirts.
IM A Kool Kid has been worn by rappers like Khuli Chana, J.R, HHP and Zeus (you’d swear that this is a mostwako product lol).
To get a your own t-shirt hit up Pulsate stores at Menlyn Park, Sandton City & Cavendish Square.
Must have of the month:
Flud watches
Flud Watches are most definitely the hottest watches on the scene, they come in different designs and were inspired by street wear. My favourite is the one above which was inspired by turntables. I mean hello this watch screams out HIP HOP. It’s time to say bye bye to all em’ fake Jacob watches and hello to some real street swag.
the scoop on whats poppn in hip hop fashion
Fashion icon of the month:
Teyana Taylor
Most people know Teyana from her debut single “Goggle me” or her 16th birthday party on “My Super Sweet 16” when she made her grand entrance in a Barbie box, wearing a tutu with sneakerz, but few people know that she is actually signed to Pharrell’s Star Trek Entertainment as one of his artists. I find Teyana to be the fweshest dressed female in hip hop. Her mixture of old skool meets skater, with a twist of girliness is what makes her stand out and also the reason why she’s this month’s FASHION ICON.
Brand of the month:
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Is a hot clothing label that started as a t-shirt brand but has ventured out into hoodies and is said to be working on dropping shoes, wallets and jewellery. The brand made such a buzz when it came out, to the extent that in its first month there were bootlegs of the t-shirts.
IM A Kool Kid has been worn by rappers like Khuli Chana, J.R, HHP and Zeus (you’d swear that this is a mostwako product lol).
To get a your own t-shirt hit up Pulsate stores at Menlyn Park, Sandton City & Cavendish Square.
Must have of the month:
Flud Watches are most definitely the hottest watches on the scene, they come in different designs and were inspired by street wear. My favourite is the one above which was inspired by turntables. I mean hello this watch screams out HIP HOP. It’s time to say bye bye to all em’ fake Jacob watches and hello to some real street swag.
GHOSTWRITING IN HIP HOP
GhostWriter by Skillz
Ghostwriting is a very controversial subject in hip hop, with a lot of people viewing the increase of ghostwritters in hip hop as the “perversion of hip hop”, but few people know that ghostwriting goes back as far as the classic rap track by Sugar Hill Gang “Rappers delight”, which is considered to be the first rap record. Big Bank Hank a member of the Sugar Hill Gang had his verse in the song written by Grand Master Caz of the Cold Crush Crew. Caz never received credit for his contribution to the song and is regarded as the first hip hop ghostwriter.
Ghostwriters never receive credit or any writer’s royalties for their work. They are considered, work for hire. In most cases they are paid to keep quiet about their involvement in composing a song. In some cases a rapper will write for another rapper and receive full credit and royalties, an example would be Rhymefest contribution to Kanye’s “Jesus Walks”, but this isn’t ghostwriting because the credit is given.
Rappers like Dr.Dre and Diddy are said to have used ghostwriters to write for them, but they get away with it because they are recognized as producers more than rappers, other rappers like Will Smith, Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown and Mase have been rumoured to have also used ghostwriters.
In 2000 a ghostwriter named Skillz dropped a track called “Ghostwriter” where he named rappers he had ghostwritten for which included Diddy, Jermaine Dupri, Will Smith and Foxy Brown. While other rappers like Jay-z and Nas have publically admitted to ghostwriting for other big performing rappers.
Chuck D of Public Enemy has stated that he doesnt mind ghostwriters in hip hop, saying "...not everyone is equipped to be a lyricist and not everyone is equipped to be a vocalist.” While American Dj, Dj Bee has said “As a person that lives the hip hop culture, I don’t like it, I can’t have a ghost DJ, you can’t have a ghost B-boy, you have to be there doing it, you can’t have a ghost graffiti writer.” Bee believes that ghostwriters should at least be given the writing credits on their compositions.
I personally feel that ghostwriting is deceiving and fake, if a rapper is getting someone to write for them then that person should receive the credit that they deserve, not get paid off to hide the fact that they wrote your verse.
*The game needs change and Im the muthafuckn CASHIER*
LOCAL RAPPER OF THE MONTH
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Birth name: Senzo Mfundo Vilikazi
Birth date: 11th August 1988 (22)
Birth place: Johannesburg, South Africa
• In high school Kwesta had a liking for poetry it was after winning a talent show that he realised he was talent at spoken word.
• At 15 he formed a rap group with his friends called “Ghetto Fellaz”, which was later renamed to “Juvenylz”. The group failed to get discovered resulting in Kwesta going solo, recording his own songs in a home studio.
• In 2005 he met Max from Africa’s Most Southern (AMS) Record Company; AMS signed Kwesta as their first artist. From them on KWESTA went to build hype for himself, winning the MC of the month competition on Yfm’s Rap Activity Jam and also took first place on The Freestyle Kings special on Shiz Niz.
• With a number of tracks recorded, Kwesta’s demo made it to the Buttabing Entertainment office, where it was received well to the point where they signed him. Together with Buttabing he travelled across S.A as part of the entertainment line up and judging panel on the Sprite Hip Hoop Tour.
• His track “Shap Fede” has received a lot of radio rotation on local radio stations.
• He has also dropped a mixtape hosted by hip hop Dj, DJ C-Live
· This year Kwesta dropped his debut album “Special Rekwest”, the album’s first single is titled “Stomp”. Kwesta’s sound is said to be fresh, young and doesn’t conform to anything you’ve heard before.
SNITCHIN'
The scoop on whatz poppin the hip hop world
Weezy Weekend?!!!
Just a few weeks left till Lil Wayne is released from jail, a Young Money representative has confirmed that there will be a lot of celebrating when Weezy is released with his family planning a “Weezy Weekend”. When Wayne was asked who he’d want at his party he replied “Madonna” but quickly laughed it off to say "That was a joke. It doesn't matter, man, I just want to see the fans and I want them to see me, that's all."
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In the new Complex magazine, rapper Kid Cudi talks about the problems he has with fellow rapper Wale. When asked “Where did the whole attitude shift towards Wale stem from?” He replied:
“I really don’t understand what’s up with this guy, but he’s just somebody I don’t click with anymore. I started making changes in my life and started to realize positive energy around me, and he never really had a good energy. I never felt like he wanted to see me prosper, it was just one of those niggas that was envious rather than happy for a nigga. I could be reading it wrong, but I’m not making beef and rearranging my life. It’s pretty obvious he feels some type of way about it. I’m not into peer mediation and working things out, I’m just trying to provide for my daughter and my family and making music for my fans. I vibe with certain people and some people I don’t.”
Uhm... hello are you 4real??? When will this nigga give up lol?!!!!
Young Money Cash Money money?!!!
Yep you read right but plastic money not paper money. Young Money president Mack Maine has confirmed the rumours that they are preparing to launch Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake themed debit cards. Mack Maine released a statement saying:
"As far as the Young Money credit cards go, it is true. I don't have a definite date yet, but I should have one soon before the end of the week. But it is true, so make sure the fans and the people that are interested sign up. It's a pre-paid card. We're not starting it out with each member having their own card just yet. It's just pretty much a Young Money card and then we'll branch out to like Nicki Minaj pink cards, maybe having Wayne and Drake cards being like the black cards. You know, just different levels of it. Maybe have Twist and Chuckee for the younger crowd. We'll make sure each member has it as we learn the ropes."
Recently rapper/ actor Common was spotted with ex girlfriend Serena Williams at a beach in Florida, fuelling the rumours that they are back together. The pair broke up a few months back, but I guess it’s hard to let “Go”...lol
Teflon Don, Rick Ross has come out to say that the guy in the recently leaked sex tape is not him, nevertheless he is happy with all the offers his been getting from women.
Saying:
“I noticed the homie really ain’t have none of my tats. The nigga had a Louis flag in his pocket, which we started rocking last year. And I’ve had tattoos well over a decade. All the real Rozay fans know what time it is. So I just laughed at it. You know what’s funny, all the sexy ladies hitting me up on Twitter saying they want to shoot a real porno with a nigga. I’m like buggin”.
Kid Cudi got a secret child?!!!
Recently Grammy nominated rapper Kid Cudi revealed that he has a daughter who was born earlier this year on the 26th March called Vada, he has said that the birth of his daughter was a wake up call for him, going on to say:
“There's another thing people don't know. I have a daughter, born March 26th of this year. Her name is Vada, and she's f*cking awesome. That was eating me up, and it was stressing me out that nobody knew about her. I was trying to escape from that, too. Just trying to figure it out and make everyone happy, it's a lot for somebody my age to handle. I was manning up and dealing with it in what I thought was the right way, but it was the wrong way. I want to be around for her. I can honestly say she was the wake-up call. The reality that it's bigger than just you now- you have a responsibility and there's no more time for mistakes. It's time to stop f*cking around.”
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Roc Nation’s first artist, rapper J.Cole recently spoke up about taking on Drake, stating:
"From a fan's point of view, who are you going to get excited about [to] battle? I feel like that's why people push the J.Cole/Drake thing so much, 'cause I think we're probably the first two artists that fans are super excited about. The two that they would like to see go at it. I don't blame 'em. But it's just a sign of the times. Rap goes in cycles. I'm not promoting that, but I'm a competitive person in general, so I'm a fan of people throwing jabs and shots. That motivates me."
Using the beat of Kanye’s track “Runaway”, Jim Jones and Cam’ron make a track in which Jim Jones does the chorus while Cam’ron does the verses. On one of Cam’s verse he has the following lines saying:
“And Kanye, you a sucka nigga
Dissed Dame, so my attitude is fuck the nigga
Stuck to Jigga, how you gon’ live with that?
Took the beat, now come get it back…”
I wonder if Kanye is going to respond…
In an interview with Vibe Magazine Trey Songz spoke about him and Drake exploring the idea of doing a full length album together, with Drake saying “he’s ready” and Trey saying:
"I think it’s all about when the people want it. I don’t think people are ready for that yet. It’s all about placement. We could be much bigger stars when we do that. It’s all about the success we attain individually."
This past weekend the BET Hip Hop Awards were held, where Nicki Minaj and Jay-z were the biggest winners, bagging 3 awards each. Nicki won the awards for Rookie Of The Year, People’s Champ and Made You Look for her eccentric fashion. Jay-z on other hand won the awards for CD Of The Year, Best Live Performer and Perfect Combo for “Empire State Of The Mind”.
FEMALE RAPPER OF THE MONTH
Birth name: Stella Mwangi
Birth date: 1 September 1986 (24)
• STL is a female rapper from Kenya
• Since the age of 8 she knew she wanted to be part of the music industry, from the age of eleven she was active in the Norwegian hip hop scene.
• In 1998, she worked with an African youth group known as "The Rise" they released an album called "Maroon". She then started being the opening act for various rappers like Common and Talib Kweli followed by Busta Rhymes, and Rick Ross to name a few.
• Her break in the African hip hop scene came in 2005 when she worked with a Senegalese hip hop group called “Wagable”.
• Since her debut album release, she has been touring in Scandinavia, USA and Africa.
• Her songs "Crazy", "Feeling Love" and "Swing", were picked by the Position Music and Choice Tracks (based in L.A) for soundtracks for films like Save the last dance, American pie, Redline and the series; CSI (New York) , Las Vegas, Ghost whisperer, Scrubs and Army Wives.
• STL is most def a female rapper to take notice of, she has achieved quite a lot for herself and is definitely on the rise. For more on her check her website www.stellamwangi.com
Awards
• In 2009 she was nominated for “Best New Act” at the MTV Africa Music Awards.
• In 2010 she won Favorite Female Artist at the Chaguo La Teeniez Awards (East Africa).
Discography
• Living For Music (October, 2008), her first single ‘Take it back’ was a big hit in Africa and in Scandinavia, it was #1 on East African charts. Her third single “She got it/Kool girls’s” was another hit on East African charts and was also a hit on the Mtv Base African chart.
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PROGRESS REPORT
Hip hop fashion leading in the local hip hop game
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Ama Kip Kip, Im A Kool Kid, Head Honcho, Strussbob, Milkshake Brand, Red Lion Pimpin these are just a few of the names of local hip hop clothing brands. I personally think if there is one thing that the local hip hop scene has on point, is it’ clothing. The quality and looks of these brands are so fwesh that they can substitute their international competitors. I have to give a big thumbs up to Ama Kip Kip, I remember how wearing an Ama Kip Kip t-shirt signified street cred, back when it was only available at Rosebank, but since has expand to a national level with the clothing brand being sold in Cross Trainer stores nationwide. Credit has to also be given to the brand for indirectly starting the whole t-shirt brand craze, the craze that had everyone wanting to start up their own t-shirt brand, but the craze eventually died out with a few t-shirt brands surviving. Over the past few years the growth of other hip hop clothing brands that aren’t specifically t-shirt brands have sprung up. Red Lion Pimpin came through with their caps that enabled us to rep our hoods through our clothing. The brand took over the scene like a cancer, out with the New Era caps and in with Red Lion Pimpin.
However to date my favourite clothing brand to come out of South Africa has to be Head Honcho, this brand commands swagg, from their t-shirts, to their caps to their cardigans. This brand by far is sitting on top when it comes to local street fashion.
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With the ongoing rise of local hip hop fashion, I cant wait to see how the youth of this country is going to be looking in 5 years time.
*The game needs change and I’m the muthafuckn Cashier*
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However to date my favourite clothing brand to come out of South Africa has to be Head Honcho, this brand commands swagg, from their t-shirts, to their caps to their cardigans. This brand by far is sitting on top when it comes to local street fashion.
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*The game needs change and I’m the muthafuckn Cashier*
AFRICAN RAPPER OF THE MONTH
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Birth date: 1 February 1978 (age 32)
Birth place: Mogadishu, Somalia
• K’naans’ birth name Keinan, means "traveler" in the Somali language.
• K’naan spent his early years in Mogadishu, and was living there during the Somali Civil War.
• He grew up listening to hip hop music that his father would send to him from America. When he was 13, together with his mother and three siblings, K’naan left Somalia for New York City, where he stayed briefly before moving to Toronto, Canada.
• K’naan began learning how to speak English partly through listening to rappers like Nas and Rakim, despite the fact he couldn’t speak English, he taught himself hip hop slang and diction through reciting rap lyrics.
• While growing up in Toronto he spent time in jail and lost many friends to murder, deportation, suicide and prison.
• In 1999 he performed a spoken piece at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, criticizing the UN for its failed aid missions to Somalia. The performance opened many doors for him and led him to working more UN projects.
• In 2005 he married Deqa, a pharmacy technician, to whom he has two children with.
• K’naan rose to mainstream fame in America by participating in the 2008 BET Awards Cypher; this was his first appearance on American television.
• His sound is said to be a fuse of Bob Marley and conscious American hip hop, with an element of protest poetry. His voice and style have been compared to Eminem, but his subject matter is very different
• In a December 2008 interview, K’naan stated that he had never smoked weed or drank alcohol, despite touring with the Marleys.
• In 2009 his song “Wavin Flag” was chosen as Coca Cola’s anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the song received major airplay and video rotatation.
• K’naan has had a phenomenal career, he has worked with many great names in music like Mary J. Blige, Will.I.AM, Nas, Damien Marley, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 and Wale, which he collaborated on "Um'Ricka" from Wale’s mixtape “Back to the Feature” and on the song "TV in the Radio" from Wale's debut album “Attention Deficit”.
Discography
• The Dusty Foot Philosopher (2006) his debut album, received great reviews and was produced by Canadian producer Jarvis Church. The following year in 2006, the album won the Juno Award for "Rap Recording Of The Year", and was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize. It also won the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the newcomer category for 2007. The album was later re-released and re-packaged as a "Deluxe Edition" featuring new mixes and a bonus DVD.
• Troubadour (February, 2009), the album was his first album with his new record label A&M/Octone Records. Songs from that album have been featured on several video games like Madden NFL 09 and FIFA 06
Awards
• In 2006 he won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for “The Dusty Foot Philosopher”
• In 2010 he won two of his three nominations at the Juno Awards, for Songwriter of the year and Artist of the year
Hip Hop in S.A seems like it’s going to remain in S.A
Vernac in local hip hop seems to be a sensitive subject. I personally enjoy it but my only problem is that worldwide even continentally vernac is very limiting and doesn’t appealing to all.
Just the other day I was having a chat about local hip hop to an Australian friend of mine, and he told me that he’d play artists like Pro, HHP and Teargas to his Australian and some American friends and they woldnt get their music, because the content is foreign to them.
On HHP latest album he has a track featuring Nas where he raps mostly in vernac. Again my only problem is the restriction, with an opportunity like that he could of dropped a hot “english” verse, that could possibly open doors for him in the American music industry, but now the track is restricted to those that understand his vernac.
If your dream as a rapper is to blow up worldwide, possibly be the next Drake and put South Africa on the map, the way he put Canada then you have to know that the chances of Jay-z or even Birdman signing a Zulu or Tswana rapper are low.
Don’t get me twisted I’m not saying don’t rap in vernac, I’m just stating that if your dreams are to be the be the next big rapper in the world then you have to make music that the whole world will be able to listen to and enjoy.
*The game needs change and I’m the muthafuckn Cashier*
Vernac in local hip hop seems to be a sensitive subject. I personally enjoy it but my only problem is that worldwide even continentally vernac is very limiting and doesn’t appealing to all.
Just the other day I was having a chat about local hip hop to an Australian friend of mine, and he told me that he’d play artists like Pro, HHP and Teargas to his Australian and some American friends and they woldnt get their music, because the content is foreign to them.
On HHP latest album he has a track featuring Nas where he raps mostly in vernac. Again my only problem is the restriction, with an opportunity like that he could of dropped a hot “english” verse, that could possibly open doors for him in the American music industry, but now the track is restricted to those that understand his vernac.
If your dream as a rapper is to blow up worldwide, possibly be the next Drake and put South Africa on the map, the way he put Canada then you have to know that the chances of Jay-z or even Birdman signing a Zulu or Tswana rapper are low.
Don’t get me twisted I’m not saying don’t rap in vernac, I’m just stating that if your dreams are to be the be the next big rapper in the world then you have to make music that the whole world will be able to listen to and enjoy.
*The game needs change and I’m the muthafuckn Cashier*
HIP HOP CLASSIC
Members: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna and Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Members:
• Born Robert Diggs in 1969.
• He is regarded as the leader and the producer of the group, producing most of the tracks from the Wu Tang Clan albums. He is also regarded as one of the biggest producers in hip hop.
• He has also appeared in numerous movies like Derailed, Kill Bill and American Gangster.
• His sampling of soul music has inspired producers like Kanye and Just Blaze.
• He also produces the music for the Japanese cartoon Afro Samuri.
• Born Gary Grice in 1966.
• Is the oldest member of the group and has the most expierennce having begun rapping in 1976. He was also the first to release an album.
• Born Corey Woods in 1970
• Nicknamed “The Chef” for having lyrical flavour.
• He came up with most of the slang that the clan would use, even being called “The Slang Master”.
• He is the first American rapper to perform in Sierra Leone.
• Born Darryl Hill in 1969
• Cappadonna’s status as an official Wu Tang Clan member is unclear. Some regard him as the 10th member of the crew but there has been no official conformation from the group.
• Born Jason Hunter in 1970
• Regarded as one of the star players in the group, fans consider him as a stand out member in the crew.
• Although having a lot of hype on him his solo albums failed to live up to their expectations.
Masta Killa
• Born Elgin Turner in 1969
• Was the last of the Clan’s members to release a solo album, he released “No Said Date” which is regarded as one of the best post 2000 Wu Tang albums.
• Born Clifford Smith in 1971
• He’s the youngest and most successful member of the group. He was one of the first to release a Wu Tang solo album. His albums have gone on to sell platinum and he has also received a Grammy for his track “I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need featuring Mary J. Blige.
• Method Man is also the biggest actor in the group with roles in movies like How High, Belly and Soul Plane to mention a few. He has also starred in TV series like Third Watch, CSI and The Wire. He has said that he in future he will only act on projects being handled by his friends.
• Born Russell Jones in 1968
• He was one of the popular and controversial members of the group.
• At the 1998 Grammy he did a Kanye protesting Wu Tang loss in the Best Rap Album category while another artist was accepting their award.
• In 2000 Ol’Dirty Bastard escaped his rehab sentence, spending a month on the run as a fugitive, showing up on stage at an album release party for Wu Tang. He managed to leave the club without the police noticing him but eventually was captured by the police in a MacDonald’s parking lot, and was sent to face his charges on cocaine possession.
• He died on the 13th November 2004 from a drug overdose.
U-God
• Born Lamont Hawkins in 1970
• Received the least exposure from all the Clan’s members due to him being jailed.
• In 2004 U-God had left the group after problems arose with him and RZA who he claimed had delayed his success as a solo artist, but eventually reconciled with the group after a radio interview where both him and RZA cleared the beef between each other.
• Born Dennis Cole in 1970
• He is possibly the most consistent member of the crew
• Hip Hop critics credit his 2nd album “Supreme Clientele” with saving Wu Tang.
• He has dropped 8 solo albums, which is more than any other members.
Wu Tang Clan
• Wu Tang Clan was founded by cousins RZA, GZA and Ol’Dirty Bastard in 1992.
• The group’s name was established from the movie Shaolin and Wu Tang.
• The Clan first received recognition in 1993 for their single “Protect Ya” which gave them a great underground following.
• The crew struggled getting a record deal that would sign them but still allow each member to record solo albums with other record labels.
• They ultimately signed with Loud/RCA, who agreed to allow each member to pursue solo careers with different recording labels.
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Video games:
• The Clan’s members are all featured on the playstation game Wu Tang: Shaolin Style
• Ghostface was featured in the Def Jam games series
Discography
• Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), (1993) was the group’s debut album and is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The album established Wu Tang as a prominent force in mid 90’s hip hop. They album also opened doors for the crew’s members, helping them negotiate solo contracts.
• Wu Tang Forever (June, 1997) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart. The album’s first single “Triumph” was over 5 minutes long with nine verses and no hook or a repeated phrase. The album went multiplatinum and was even Grammy nominated. To date the album has sold over 8.3 million copies.
• The W (Unknown), the album’s hit single “Gravel Pit” was part of a trilogy of videos where the group would visit different eras with a time traveling elevator. The album featured legendary soul singer Isaac Hayes on the track “I Can’t Go To Sleep”. The album went on to be certified double platinum.
• Iron Flag (2001), unlike their previous albums this album used a lot of outside producers and features. Though the album was praised by critics, Wu Tang fans weren’t as impressed with the album. Ghostface even went on to criticize the album.
• Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1 (2004), this album is recording of the group’s Rock the Bells IV concert.
• Legends of the Wu Tang Clan (unknown), was a greatest hits album of the group’s greatest music video hits.
• 8 Diagrams (December, 2007) the album received mixed reviews, being the group’s producer RZA’s most experimented work to date. Both Raekwon and Ghostface weren’t happy with the album and suggest making another album without RZA’s contribution.
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