Several weeks ago, I posted an article about 70-year-old Bill Cosby's debut into the rap game.
He's getting a bunch of guests to come out and record some positive hip hop songs, encouraging kids to stay in school, respect their parents and get swallowed by a giant whale. Or something of that mag...
My man Shad comes from London, bringing his Kenyan flavoured rhymes to the circuit.
Except that this cat is outta London, Ontario (in Canada), not the Clash's London.
Shad brings a sense of social responsibility to the hiphop game, using his albums to criticize the Rwandan genocide and cast st...
Don't worry - don't worry!
"I do not rap on any of these things, Cosby said Monday. I wouldnt know how to fix my mouth to say some of the words."
Yes, Bill Cosby is releasing a rap album called "Cosby Narratives vol 1: State of Emergency", but he's getting a whole crew of guest rappers to...
Ah, Biggie. Where have you gone? The Notorious B.I.G. went by many names - Big Poppa, Biggie Smalls - but no amount of pseudonyms could protect him from his disastrous fate. Murdered in cold blood.
Immortalized, though. Between "Party and Bullshit" and "Hypnotize", Big Poppa left an unforget...
Cibby threw up a nice post yesterday about a short video I sent him that my boyfriend made with 7 bboys, a bgirl and 2 trickers. I want to give this video as much exposure as I can because I really love it and not because i'm biased either - see for yourself. It sends chills down my spine each time ...
Ashkon is a musician from The Bay that's brought down his latest single, "Hot Tubbin'", on YouTube and Myspace.
It's getting easier and easier to find great acts on the web... blogs and web media is funnelling down into a several good sources with enough reputation to build an audience. Hopef...
It was a sad day for the Hip Hop community last Thursday 3rd April (American time, or Friday, Australia time) when one of the pioneers, Bboy Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost died at the age of 44 of an undisclosed illness, diagnosed only during the beginning of this year. Speculations about substance...
Two brothers from New Orleans, producing their own tracks - that's The Knux, a hiphop duo that's been compared to De La Soul.
Their first music video is "Cappucino", and the reviews have been favourable, except for some bloggers who criticize the lyrical content.
The brothers had a bit of misf...
This looks sooooooo dope.
PLATFORM 1 HIP HOP FESTIVAL, Sydney Australia
Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of March 2008
Platform 1 Hip Hop Festival is set to explode with two days of high-powered Hip Hop action, representing Breaking, Graffiti, Beatboxing, MCing and DJing. A fresh experience ...
This bboy comp is gonna be a big one. One of the biggest in a while, with flights to Korea to compete in the international finals for the winning crew put up as the prize. Come down and check it out, it'll be heated battles and a great atmosphere. I'm there for sure.
$5 ENTRY FOR ALL BBOYSBG...
Mr. Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, probably got a lot less flack for being called Earl when he changed his name.
And it's pretty easy to understand that he's probably not sticking his nose in the papers and the New York Times, preferring to kick it in his hometown of Baltimore with some crab ...
You've got to be kidding me - the Juice Crew is getting back together? Are they starting up the old beefs too?
That's right... Marley, Big Daddy, Biz and friends are going to rock it on March 21st, otherwise known as Good Friday.
That's the day that Jesus died, only to be resurrected and r...
I didn't write this list, but, man, I wish I had thought of it first. Growing up in a predominantly white part of Canada, I got my fair share of 'I hate rap but I LOVE The Humpty Dance!'.
The hilariously funny blog, Stuff White People Like, posted a top ten that has reached massive popularity... ...
The night before the first show of the Get Served Tour 2008 was supposed to kick off, there was a lack of buzz around the concert itself. Many I spoke to didn't even realise Omarion, Marques Houston and Avant were coming down to Australia on tour, those who were performing didn't know what was going...
Well, I don't know. I don't dig hyphy all that much, though it'll probably enter Australia on crates of smuggled cane toads.
Nation of Thizzlam has a post looking back on 2007, predicting that it was the last year that hyphy would make a stand.
Check out the post for some sweet samples from th...
He's getting a bunch of guests to come out and record some positive hip hop songs, encouraging kids to stay in school, respect their parents and get swallowed by a giant whale. Or something of that magnitude.
I took a look on YouTube and found that there are infinite numbers of Cosby rap compliations, like the infamous Dr. Dre/Cosby mashup:
Is that Bill Cosby? No - it's the audio track from the Simpsons episodes making fun of Bill. Take a look at the related videos: no shortage of music videos for this track.
Hell, I think it's catchy, personally. Pokemon? Pokemon!
Even better is finding this old Eddie Murphy clip of his Bill Cosby impression. It's a little over-the-top, but he hits some gold:
And the pinnacle of bizarre Bill Cosby pop culture is this : The House of Cosbys, a short animation that was so weird that Bill used his lawyers to make them stop.
My man Shad comes from London, bringing his Kenyan flavoured rhymes to the circuit.
Except that this cat is outta London, Ontario (in Canada), not the Clash's London.
Shad brings a sense of social responsibility to the hiphop game, using his albums to criticize the Rwandan genocide and cast stones at the commercialism of hiphop.
The Old Prince, released last year, won a Juno for Rap Recording of the Year, which is as recognized as you can get in Canada without being caught on an ice floe with a club.
James Goymour sent me this link, advising me that if this track didn't get me back into good graces with the rap scene, nothing would. A fine silver bullet, James. He also sweetened the deal by handing me a honeycomb sundae, which, though it might sounds metaphorical, was actually a honeycomb sundae.
Sure, it sounds ridiculous, even from me, a kid raised on The Cosby Show, but I can really get down with Cosby's motivation:
"Cosby said the hip-hop music he hears is profane and degrading. His album is “the opposite of what I think is the profanity for no particular reason, the misogyny for no particular reason,” he said. “It really looks at the frustration and the anger that a young man may have.”"
This all sounds quite exciting coming from a man that brought family-friendly comedy to black audiences, leaving the raw for Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.
When I got a little older, I forgot about the wholesome rye of Cosby and went for the addictive pixie sticks that Murphy was selling. He swore! And made fun of white people! Oh, the funny!
Of course, since then, Murphy has learned how to sell out, just like his comedic classmates Steve Martin and Ice Cube. What happened?
No tracks have been released, but I found this popular music video: "Cosby Bebop"!
Ah, Biggie. Where have you gone? The Notorious B.I.G. went by many names - Big Poppa, Biggie Smalls - but no amount of pseudonyms could protect him from his disastrous fate. Murdered in cold blood.
Immortalized, though. Between "Party and Bullshit" and "Hypnotize", Big Poppa left an unforgettable mark on hip hop.
We should remember, though, that he was a struggling kid at some point... this video of Biggie freestyling, apparently in a battle, on the streets of Brooklyn, reminds us of just how savage the man would be.
Cibby threw up a nice post yesterday about a short video I sent him that my boyfriend made with 7 bboys, a bgirl and 2 trickers. I want to give this video as much exposure as I can because I really love it and not because i'm biased either - see for yourself. It sends chills down my spine each time I watch it, the music is fitting and adds to a "film noir"-type mood. It highlights the best that Sydney has to offer both in local artistic and physical talent; the classic backdrop is shown in a beautiful, different light to what you'd normally see during the busy city days and the slovenly nightlife.
For a moment it doesn't feel like Sydney, but an older, distant place in Europe. Far from the usual picturesque postcards of Bondi Beach, koalas or the Sydney Opera House, the dim glow of the view from the street level is reminiscent of the lifestyles of the same street dancers and trickers in the video - our underground community. Some struggle for recognition and respect from the broader community, others becoming nonchalant after trying for so long.
Enjoy, and show some love
On another note, directly after the end scene in this video, a man was hit by a Lexus at the intersection before the traffic lights turned green. He flipped into the air and landed smack on the pavement, blood gushing out of his head. A rush of pedestrians who witnessed the accident ran to his assistance and to the car that hit him, carrying a bunch of guys wanting to show off after seeing all the filming going on. They were screaming at the people in the car, "DON'T MOVE!!! STAY THERE! WE'RE CALLING THE POLICE!!!" I think the guy who got hit survived, although we're not sure. I hope he is ok, and if he finds this post, please email or comment to let us know you're ok.
Ashkon is a musician from The Bay that's brought down his latest single, "Hot Tubbin'", on YouTube and Myspace.
It's getting easier and easier to find great acts on the web... blogs and web media is funnelling down into a several good sources with enough reputation to build an audience. Hopefully, the gatekeepers have enough taste and integrity to deliver the really excellent music.
This is not excellent music. This is not a hot track.
What this is, instead, is a satirical R&B song that sounds like it was damn fun to record and film the video!
It was a sad day for the Hip Hop community last Thursday 3rd April (American time, or Friday, Australia time) when one of the pioneers, Bboy Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost died at the age of 44 of an undisclosed illness, diagnosed only during the beginning of this year. Speculations about substance abuse and such were dismissed by relatives and friends after being put on life support just last month.
A member of the Rock Steady Crew since 1981, one of the original bboy crews, he was attributed to inventing a move known as "The Suicide" and featured in films such as "The Freshest Kids", "Flashdance", "Style Wars" and "Wild Style".
Frosty Freeze Tribute
The Rock Steady Crew Anniversary from The Freshest Kids DVD
The brothers had a bit of misfortune when Katrina hit:
"Just as their recording came to a standstill the Knux were met with great misfortune: Hurricane Katrina. “We never evacuated when the hurricanes hit,” says Krispy, “But for whatever reason when Katrina hit we left with our mom to go to Dallas for the weekend. When we were driving back to New Orleans on the Monday all the cars were going the other direction. The radio wasn’t working, so we had no idea about the flood ‘til someone flagged us down and told us that we weren’t gonna’ be allowed into the city.” After a week of the entire family sleeping in their car, they relocated to Houston and found an apartment. “Man, we lost everything, our whole apartment building burned to the ground, says Krispy. “So we were grateful that everyone was okay, but we weren’t happy to be in Houston.”"
PLATFORM 1 HIP HOP FESTIVAL, Sydney Australia
Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of March 2008
Platform 1 Hip Hop Festival is set to explode with two days of high-powered Hip Hop action, representing Breaking, Graffiti, Beatboxing, MCing and DJing. A fresh experience for the hip hop novice and old skooler alike, the festival includes a series of free events, workshops and two huge nights of entertainment.
Flexing skills: Platform 1 presents premium Hip Hop action when some of Australia's best B*Boys, B*Girls, DJ's, Vocalists and MC's unite on one stage and are judged by you!
Competing in four randomly composed crews, the night will be a mashup of raw skill and freestyle as the finest in the culture represent their element.
Accompanied by the Metabass Allstars. Hosted by Morganics. Make sure you arrive early for the performance of Stiltbreak at 7.30pm.
Freak the Technique: B*Boy | B*Girl battle, some of Australia's best breaking crews will battle it out for the Platform 1 title. Featuring Interstate Judges – Arch Rival, King Ippy and Versastyle. Popping and Locking, Krumping, DJ Mathmatics and live Hip Hop acts. Hosted by Nick Power.
Breaking Info:
Friday and Saturday night 7.30 – 8pm – StiltBreak a wicked fusion of Breaking, Stilt Acrobatics and Artistry. Feat: B Girl Flix, Mr Flip, Manifest and Rely. Stalker Theatre Company.
Friday night:
8 – 10pm Flexing skills – Live invitational Jam featuring some of Sydneys Dopest MC’s, DJ’s Vocalists and Breakers – Unique B Girl, Arch, Ippy and Versastyle. Tix $15/$12
Saturday:
4 on 4 Breaking Eliminations 3 – 5pm.
Top 8 to go through to Freak the Technique that night. Run in conjunction with Graff comp and Demo.
Freak the Technique B Boy/B Girl Battle 8 – 11pm.
Feat – Def Wish Cast, Foreign Heights, Morganics and Eminent Family.
Hosted by Rely. Interstate Judges: Arch Rival, Versastyle and Ippy. DJ Mathmatics.
1st prize - $1000. Tix $15/$12
Dance Workshops in Breaking, Popping, Locking and Street Funk.
FREE events include:
* Performances of Stiltbreak, a fusion of Stilt Acrobatics and Breaking by STALKER Performance Projects
* Photographic exhibition of Australian Graffiti by Guillaume Chesneau
* Can Control - graffiti demo and competition. Hosted by Mistery
* Chalk it Up - Create your own chalk graffiti artwork
This bboy comp is gonna be a big one. One of the biggest in a while, with flights to Korea to compete in the international finals for the winning crew put up as the prize. Come down and check it out, it'll be heated battles and a great atmosphere. I'm there for sure.
$5 ENTRY FOR ALL BBOYS/BGIRLS AND SPECTATORS
Bboy Unit Australia
Sunday, 30th March, 2008
2pm, Bankstown PCYC
Sydney, Australia
Judges:
Red (7$ - Sydney)
Arch Rival (Wicked Force - Melbourne)
Ty - (Blackout - NZ)
DJ:
DJ Mathmatics (Robotek - Newcastle)
Prize:
Flights, Transfers, Accommodation and Per Diem for a full crew (10 People) to compete at Bboy Unit in Korea in May 2008.
Trina
Arkitekt
Cibbuano
Book of Chux
Marie-Claire
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