Review: Nas and Damian Marley “Distant Relatives”
“Africa must wake up / the sleeping sons of Jacob / for what tomorrow may bring /may a better day come / Yesterday we were Kings / Can you tell me young ones / Who are we today” – Damian Marley from “Africa Must Wake Up” A sleeping giant, a passionate people crying silent in [...]
Mic Levels Up: Rush of Arabian Knightz
Arabian Knightz are one of the premier hip hop groups to break into the world scene this year, as this Egypt-based group are set to release their debut album Uknighted State of Arabia to an eager audience later this year. Already the first hip hop group to break into Egypt’s top ten pop charts, their [...]
Hip Hop Bus Tour Coming to Palestine
An upcoming hip hop tour of Palestine is getting ready to launch, the Hip Hop Bus Tour 2010. The tour has been organized by Existence is Resistance, the South West Youth Collaborative (SWYC) and the University of Hip Hop Chicago (UHHC). Daily musical workshops will be conducted for children in refugee camps and the occupied [...]
The “Real” Arabic Hip Hop Mixed Tape (Vol.1)
Hip hop in the Middle East has taken off as a powerful medium for youth voices to be heard, and the internet has provided the opportunity for artists to spread their music like never before. A new hip hop mixtape takes advantage of these voices and this moment The mixtape, titled “The ‘Real’ Arabic Hip [...]
Kil Ripkin’s “Not You”, Hip Hop for Empowerment
Hip hop was born with a conscious back in New York City in the 1970s, and though the imagery of struggle and community rebirth has come and gone in the commercial rap scene, those artists with a voice of empowerment have always found an audience. For Kil Ripkin, a native Brooklyn MC, these positive messages [...]
Mic Levels Up: MC Starr
No true hip hop fan still sleeps on the Midwest, as new MCs and producers continue to emerge and fill out the ranks of the region’s best artists. The Fall Guys (DJ Pain 1 and MC Starr) are one of the latest groups to seize the spotlight and show the world how they represent their [...]
50 for 5E Gallery: Detroit Hip Hop Shines
On May 15, the 5E Gallery in Detroit hosted its final show at the current location on Michigan Avenue, a celebration of the city’s greatest destination for independent hip hop. The show, 50 for 5E, featured 50 performances from some of the Motor City’s top MCs, DJs and musicians, all done as a fundraiser to [...]
Diaspora: A Global Mixtape Movement
A new mixtape spotlighting international hip hop artists has been released by Nomadic Wax, bringing together MCs from different languages and dialects to create a unique project. Diaspora: A Global Mixtape Movement, features over 15 different artists from all over the world, including the United States, Haiti, Zimbabwe and more. Hip hop has become a [...]
Mic Levels Up: Verbs
The Project Blowed experience in Los Angeles has produced some of the finest hip hop artists from the City of Angels, and as one of the latest artists to emerge onto the national scene, Verbs has been introduced as one to watch. While on the road as an opening artist for Murs on his Fornever [...]
Hip Hop on the Frontlines, Part 3
Common Breath Media presents “Hip Hop on the Frontlines”, a documentary short in three parts. Featuring photography and audio interviews from 2009’s Hip Hop as a Movement Week at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this presentation takes a look at hip hop as an agent for social change, examining the artistic elements of hip hop and [...]
