There has been a huge void in hip-hop for over half a decade now. Creativity and originality have been sacrificed at the altar to appease the corporate gods.
After countless shout outs and guest cameos on Nas records, The Bravehearts (composed of Nas' little brother, Jungle, and best friend Wiz) are attempting to step out of the shadows with their cleverly-titled debut effort "Bravehearted." So what does a duo do when they come into the game on the coattails of one of the illest and most respected lyricists of all time?
Okay, y'all break out the Kleenex because Jigga AKA Hova AKA Sean Carter, or otherwise known as Jay-Z, is throwing in the towel. That's right, the Brooklyn M.C.
Even the most casual observer of hip-hop knows what's going on: Ja Rule's back is up against the ropes.
The current state of the inner cities of America causes many to raise their eyebrows. It seems that as the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and this desperation causes a disproportional amount of violence in America's so-called "ghettos." When you consider the glorification of drugs, guns, murders and misogyny ubiquitous in the rap lyrics that saturate the airwaves, one has to wonder:Is art imitating life, or is life-imitating art?
Everybody has his or her own definition of hip-hop. When the art form first sprang up there was no need define it -- it just was.
Elgin Lumpkin, better known as Ginuwine, is part of a particular breed of R&B singers. You know the type well -- the ones whose good looks, provocative dance moves and boyish charm leave female fans swooning.
Hopefully by now everyone is painfully aware of the problems that plague 'Black Hollywood.' Denzel Washington and Halle Berry's historic night at the Oscars last year and their political speeches were enough to jolt anyone that was unmindful of the poor casting, lack of funding and stereotypical roles that minorities in Hollywood face.
When given the assignment to review Fabolous' "Street Dreams," I was excited. Fabolous took the hip-hop world by storm last year with his mixtape assault and guest cameos where he made sure to spell his name out every time he opened his mouth.
I have to admit that I definitely was not excited about seeing "Biker Boyz." To me, it looked like a "Fast and the Furious" knock-off, but luckily this was not the case.
