Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 91

Netflix Original Series Presents: The Get Down

Today, Netflix releases a new hip hop original series called “The Get Down.” It’s about a bunch of talented people in the South Bronx during the 70’s who wanna make history and chase their dreams in music. Now y’all know I’m definitely tuning in for this one. I’m just finally glad that they’re doing something like this, coming out with a hip hop story that actually takes place in the birthplace. I always had an issue with these television networks putting out hip hop related shows or movies that take place in Brooklyn, no diss to BK but we all know that hip hop started in the Bronx and it would make more sense if these shows and movies had a setting that took place here in the Bronx. Well anyways, I’ll be home all day today just kicking back, relaxing and enjoying this series. To all hip hop lovers with a Netflix account, go watch and support this series. They’re finally paying attention to us and The Bronx. Makes me feel proud once again.

Happy Birthday Ali Shaheed Muhammad!

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, 1/4 of A Tribe Called Quest, 1/3 of Lucy Pearl (with Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Dawn of En Vogue), and 1/3 of the production team The Ummah with Q-Tip and the late great J Dilla. Ali Shaheed was always my favorite member of ATCQ because he was very laid back and cool. Nobody knows his business, nobody knows his next moves, I call him “The Mystery Man” cause you don’t even know whether or not he produced one of your favorite joints unless you buy someone’s album and read this credits. Speaking of credits, I just found months ago that he did “Brown Sugar” for D’Angelo back in 1995 for his debut album with the same title. I also remember reading somewhere that D’Angelo is one of Ali’s favorite singers. I had already mentioned in the 20th anniversary edition blog of ATCQ’s fourth album “Beats, Rhymes & Life” that ATCQ is my favorite hip hop group, so today I took a little trip down to Queens on Linden Boulevard and 192nd Street to visit the ATCQ mural. That mural came about because of one of the members of this hip hop group on Facebook I’m apart of called “Hip Hop Discussion Group.” Shoutouts to them for making this happen. It was a long ride out there from The Bronx. LMAO! I wore my custom made ATCQ t-shirt, a pair of plain black shorts and my fresh Air Force Ones sneakers, all white of course. I finally get to the mural and I was immediately blown away but the experience for me coulda been a whole lot better if I had someone to go with me, preferably another Tribe fan, that would’ve been dope. I took pictures, I recorded a video of me walking past the entire wall until I met this man standing nearby watching me named Terrence. He was cool and was nice enough to take a pic of me in front of the mural holding up 2 Tribe vinyls I own. I shook his hand, thanked him and went on my way back Uptown. All day on the train I was listening to Tribe, zoning out, having creative thoughts, getting inspired and thinking about what life would’ve been back in 1990 for me. I was listening to their debut album “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” mostly. I always had this fantasy of hanging out with Tribe, even with Phife. I always considered Q-Tip my older brother, just because me and him share the same zodiac sign, we’re both an Aries. I would get tips from Q-Tip about how the industry is and how to survive it, Ali would show me his techniques on the turntables, Phife would be talking shit and cracking jokes and Jarobi would be cheffin’ up a bomb ass meal. That was my biggest fantasy but don’t tell the guys. Man do I miss Phife though. Cool ass guy he was. Rest In Phife and Happy Birthday Ali Shaheed. ATCQ 4 Ever!!!!

I Used to Love H.E.R.: An Ode to Hip Hop!

Dear Hip Hop,

I was 17 years old, it was the beginning of my senior year in high school. At that time I was young, naive, afraid, a coward, very insecure, I had no sense of direction or understanding, I was in the darkest place of my life and I was going through a lot of shit, fighting every single day to get to a new place, trying to figure out who I was. The only thing that got me through those tough times was music. I grew up on music, I breathed, walked, talked, ate, and slept music, that’s all I know more than anything else. I was a heavy music fan and lover, especially hip hop and R&B. During the beginning of my senior year, a very close friend of mine introduced me to a place I never knew existed. This place was a place filled with MC’s, not rappers, MC’s/poets, DJ’s, breakdancers, producers and graffiti artists, this was a place that had the perfect hip hop scene. Noticed how I said MC’s and not “rappers” is because they actually tore the place down with their incredible talent and had so much control and respect on the mic. At this time, I started getting to know everyone and everyone was cool and amazingly talented. I had been exposed to hip hop growing up but this was it for me, this sealed the deal for me. That’s when I finally understood what hip hop culture was all about. It was about unity, having fun, being peaceful, conscious, expressing your experiences and stories through art in order to reach a certain audience that reflected our environment and it definitely started to leave a huge influence on me and it showed in my attitude and my appearance. I can’t forget to mention that this place I was introduced to was an underground, low key spot here in the South Bronx on East 149th Street right around the corner from White Castle before they got rid of it. Ever since then, hip hop took a huge effect and toll on me. I started to dress differently, my mindset is different, my outlook on life is different and slowly but surely my life is beginning to change and get better, I was seeing the light. I went from the R&B Ne-Yo and Bruno Mars look in argyle sweater vests and Prada shoes to the Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Run-D.M.C., Kid N’ Play, Wu-Tang Clan look with the high top fade, Doc Marten boots, overalls, gold rope chain, baggy jeans and hoodies and Timbaland boots. Everything about me was different, my look, my walk, talk, style, attitude and I was getting stopped in the middle of the street getting complimented and respected for it. Fast forward to now in 2016, I’m 22 years old, I know exactly who I am and where I’m going and I definitely can’t forget where I come from. Being from the South Bronx, I feel it is my responsibility to keep this culture alive but that sounds “old”, “not relevant”, “corny” and “stuck in the old days” to those who don’t care about this culture or understand it. Thank you DJ Kool Herc for creating the greatest soundtrack of my life. Thank you Run-D.M.C. for teaching me how to rock a fresh pair of Adidas, thank you Big Daddy Kane for teaching me how not to be a half stepper and to have a high top whose rule, thank you LL for teaching me how to appreciate our “around-the-way” girls and not to call them out their names for having long nails, extensions in their hair, and bamboo earrings with at least 2 pair, thank you A Tribe Called Quest for teaching me self righteousness and teaching me that I can definitely “kick it” too, thank you Kid N’ Play for teaching me what a real house party looks like, and thank you Mary J. Blige for giving us R&B singers a place in the hip hop community. We may not have a dope rhyme to spit but we are just as down too. Hip hop may not be the same and it’s always gonna evolve and Black music is Black music and it’s all good but everyday I try not to get too salty about her hanging out with the Trap niggas……. *Shrugs* Thank you hip hop for being the love of my life. Peace and One Love.

BIV10: Happy Birthday Michael Bivins!

Michael Bivins, 1/6 of the supergroup New Edition and 1/3 of the illest hip hop and R&B group, Bell Biv DeVoe, the man behind Boyz II Men and 702, the man behind all of the business moves and aspects of his groups and the man behind BIV 10 Records. Mike Bivins was always someone I personally looked up to when it comes to being a business man. He seems to have the golden touch cause everything he contributed to the music world was dope not to mention that both New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe have always been my favorites. BBD’s 1990 debut album “Poison” is definitely a banger from beginning to end and one of my personal favorite albums of all time. I watch BBD music videos on YouTube and study their fashion and dance moves. These guys were hard but smooth at the same time, they had all the dope gear, the spray painted overalls, the gore tex boots, the illest fades and haircuts with dope designs and Ricky’s voice over those strong new jack swing and hip hop beats was and is still incredible to me. Their latest joint “Run” samples from Biggie Smalls’ 1997 joint “Hypnotize” and it’s a banger. They still have it and haven’t lost their touch at all. Thank you Mike and the entire New Edition for being so inspiring to me. Team NE 4 Life! Happy Birthday Mike!

Alert: Human Sex Trafficking!

Public service announcement!

Good morning to you all, I wanna do a little something different, something to bring attention to what’s costing our young girls and women their lives here in the Bronx. So I’m up early, as usual, scrolling through my Instagram and I see about three or four posts in a row about kidnapping and human sex trafficking that’s going on in the Bronx. They mentioned that this is going on in Riverside. The point is that to all you young girls and women out there in the Bronx, please careful. If you’re walking down the street by yourself, please be super aware of your surroundings, either turn your music down in your headphones or don’t wear headphones at all. They’re catching these girls by randomly calling their phones and telling them that they’re being recommended for a job. BLOCK THAT NUMBER IF YOU GET THIS CALL! Then they’re telling these girls someone else’s full name that they know and then asking them to come in for an interview, DO NOT DO IT! That’s just they’re way of capturing these girls. Once again, ladies please be safe, stay aware and be careful.

How Ya Like Me Now?: Happy Birthday Kool Moe Dee! 🎈

It was 1987 when Kool Moe Dee asked “How Ya Like Me Now?” in his braggadocios kinda way that was in your face and showed lots of confidence with a tad bit of cockiness. It was also in 1987 when the cover photo of his album with the same title, had him rocking a fresh all white fit with a Jeep Wrangler behind him and a Kangol hat tucked underneath one of the wheels of the jeep. That Kangol represented the brief beef he had with LL Cool J, who is my all time favorite 80’s rapper and a HUGE inspiration for me when it comes to fashion. Another classic from Moe Dee like “Wild Wild West” is a joint that I grew up on. How crazy is it that a 22 year old like myself was growing up on Kool Moe Dee? LOL! But I did and it was dope! It was even more dope when I actually met Kool Moe Dee four years ago in Harlem on Convent Avenue, as mentioned in the song, which is my stepfather’s neighborhood. Every year in August, on Convent, they throw this big hip hop event called “Da Hill Reunion” where they have basketball games, street dances, people having cookouts in the park, fresh to def in their new gear, kids running up and down the playground and of course, my favorite part is when the DJ is cutting it up on the 1’s and 2’s spinning good music all day. Some recent stuff with a new twist on it and of course some old school too and rappers come to the reunion to perform and show love. Kool Moe Dee and L.A. Sunshine are the main ones who be at the reunions. To those who don’t know about L.A. Sunshine, he was a part of the hip hop group The Treacherous Three along with Moe Dee and DJ Easy Lee. They had joints like “Feel the Heart Beat”, “Action” and another joint they did with Spoonie Gee called “The New Rap Language.” Doug E. Fresh comes to the reunion sometimes too. When I met Moe Dee four years ago, he was extremely cool, like I expected and at that time, I wasn’t rocking a high top fade and a vintage/retro look, I was slowly getting to that point but not until a year after that. I loved going to those reunions growing up but lately it hasn’t been the same for the simple fact that it feels dead and doesn’t have the same exciting energy it used to have also, gentrification. All of these out of town white folk moving into the neighborhood are calling the cops at 8 or 9 o’clock at night when everyone is still rocking and having fun. They call the cops on us to stop the music because we’re “making too much noise.” Maybe I’ll be returning to the reunion this year just to see what’s it like and maybe I’ll run into Kool Moe Dee again, that’ll be dope forreal!

Written by Jay-Doggz

Hip Hop Film Festival 2016 🏆

I’m still completely amazed and lost for words about the hip hop film festival that took place in Harlem at the National Black Theatre yesterday. So many people were there, so many things I’ve heard and learned and so much has happened to the point where it’s almost a blur and a rush. It felt like I blinked my eyes once and I was there and blink again, I was back at home in the Bronx. It felt like a Cinderella story except a hip hop version where I was home all the time with ambitions and crazy big dreams of doing things for the hip hop community and when I finally got that chance too, I was decked out in the flyest b-boy, 80’s hip hop gear and then BOOM, I’m back home, it never happened. The part about the location sounds like I’m just repeating myself after doing interviews with people yesterday too. LOL! So I get there and automatically fell in love with the place because of it’s hip hop aura, vibe and spirit. It was almost like being backstage at the years biggest hip hop awards and I was V.I.P. I continue to scope out the place and get used to it more and I was completely scared and nervous but I played it off. The very first person I interviewed was the lovely Ms. Dedra Tate. I don’t really remember everyone’s position there at the film festival because everything happened so fast but she knew it was my first time, she knew I was a little nervous and she made me feel really comfortable. I also interviewed another nice lady whose name I forgot and then Ms. Lisa Cortes, she’s the woman behind movies like “Precious.” She also made me feel comfortable and she even gave me advice about how to interview people. I felt loved, I felt like everyone was planting these seeds in me that would eventually make me as big as them someday. I felt important to be in a space about my true love, HIP HOP. Then there are the panels. The panels are when they discuss all types of projects like movies and documentaries and the people who were involved tell us the people who are there what they’re experiences was like and how did their ideas come about to making these things happen. People like filmmakers, actors, Ralph McDaniels, Do It All Du from the legendary hip hop group Lords of the Underground, and even Monifah was there as a surprise for one panel. Out of all the people I met, I was mostly excited about Monifah and Ralph McDaniels because I grew on Monifah’s music, especially her first two albums, the classic “Moods… Moments” in 1996 and her sophomore album in 1998, “Mo’hogany.” I just remember my mom playing her songs “You”, “You Don’t Have to Love Me”, and my all time favorite “It’s Alright” but I always bothered my sister with the song “Peaches & Cream” from her underrated 2000 album “Home.” Before I could meet Ralph McDaniels for the second time, he was already gone. I wasn’t upset about it because I knew for sure I was gonna come across this man again sometime. I almost forgot to mention that I met the lovely MC Debbie D from the “Beat Street” movie, one of my all time favorite movies. After being underneath that freezing cold air conditioner all day, had a good bite to eat at Applebee’s and then went back home. I originally went to meet the legendary Roxanne Shanté but I went home, I was tired. To have an experience like this makes me even more and more appreciative about hip hop and it also made me open my eyes to the fact that hip hop comes in many different forms, not that I didn’t know that already but still. There’s conscious rap, party/happy rap, trap rap, there’s ratchet stuff too and I realize that even though certain types of rap music is not for me, it’s something that others appreciate and we can’t talk down on others for liking what they like. After all, hip hop is about having fun but it’s also a political statement, a Scarface movie and a ratchet thing too.

Written by Jay- Dogs

People Power Movement ✊🏾

Yesterday I was introduced to something that was extremely inspiring, very positive and very uplifting as well. Reminds me of the “Stop the Violence” march that I participated in last month only this time, it was only a few of us and these were the same people I met at the march through a mutual friend. I was introduced to the People Power Movement. The People Power Movement is a movement that’s all for the African American and Hispanic/Latin communities. It’s an organization that’s all about anti-racism, anti-sexist, and pro-poor. They are a working class political organization who educate and are for more positive things and changes. Yesterday, I was uptown on the 4 train line on Kingsbridge with my new friend Damian, whose part of the People Power Movement, and a couple of others as well where we were walking up and down the neighborhood basically asking people who are from that area questions about their experiences living in the neighborhood and what they do and don’t like about the neighborhood and what they think should be changed and/or needs to be different. The stories that I’ve heard yesterday almost made me tuck in my gold rope chain because of the horror that people faced in their lives and how they ended up living in The Bronx on Kingsbridge and what it was like living there. One guy who only lived in Kingsbridge for 6 months got car jacked, ONLY 6 months. I was shocked about that mostly because I’ve lived in The Bronx my entire life and have never experienced nothing like that but of course I definitely know that it’s nothing new. Another guy from Ghana who owns an African mart business was telling us about his country and what life was like living in The Bronx but I don’t remember all of the details as I was drifting in and out of the discussion in disbelief. After that, me, Damian and the others basically spent the rest of the day just chillin’ in St. James Park talking about their next moves, new goals, accomplishments and planning on future meetings and events and stuff. I was told that I will be involved more because I made it clear that I was definitely down to join and to be a part of the movement. We all grabbed a bite to eat and then took the 4 back home. There’s just something about movements like these that make me feel so powerful and enlightened. To know that I can be a part of something that can help towards making positive changes in our communities. Definitely can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.

written by Jay-Doggz

Orlando’s ‘Anti-Mall’ is Orlando’s Best Mall

In Orlando, there is a place where dreams come to fruition and become actual crafts. No, it isn’t your kid’s camp: it’s Artegon.

Artegon is a collection of artisanal stores where one can experience both zip lining and glass blowing under the same roof. Here, where artists can display their art or quirky crafts under their own store fronts, there appears to be a lot of freedom as to what sellers decide to sell. From drawings to hand-crafted soaps, Artegon offers a variety of items that you will not find in your average mall. There were stores dedicated to boomerangs, hammocks, and even jerky (all three separate stores!)! While wandering, I even stumbled upon a temporary but cool high school art exhibit.

At the entrance of Artegon lays a maze of ropes overhead. Both children and adults are welcome to trapeze through the air (attached by harness, of course). Zip lining and even a mini free fall is included in a very affordable package of under $30 per person. You can stay on the ropes for as long as you want and even scaredy cats will be encouraged by their fellow rope climbers.

For food, I walked past a frozen yogurt place, a pizza place, and a Fuddruckers. Each offered gluten free options (which I can truly appreciate). I decided on Fuddruckers myself and had a delicious gluten-free bison burger with onions.

Unable to complete this journey in one day, I made sure to visit Artegon’s comic book shop Gods and Monsters on another evening. It so happened to be an evening dedicated to Pokémon Go Pokemon hunting (the store is home to a Pokéstop and a Pokémon gym). The Pokestop had an ongoing lure that certainly baited customers inside. Gods and Monsters is one of the largest spaces I have ever seen dedicated to a comic book shop. This comic book shop, unlike many I have gone to in New York, even offered a lounge with alcoholic beverages. While your mileage may vary, my own experience was not entirely positive as the bartender appeared rather overwhelmed and kept forgetting my order along with my neighbor’s. A tiny bit of research revealed that the shop is relatively new, which may explain some lacking memorabilia or unique offerings. Overall though, it was a positive experience and cannot wait to return to see some growth Artegon apparently has existed for a few years now and seems to be moderately popular, despite the dozens of outlet malls littering the area. With some hope, its hipster atmosphere could attract more millennials and hipsters and spread more similar malls along the East Coast. Otherwise the next time I am in Orlando, I will ensure I set aside an entire day to spend in Artegon!

Written by Fantasia Cordero

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The 20th Anniversary Edition!

On this day 20 years ago, my all time favorite hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest released their fourth album called “Beats, Rhymes, & Life.” I personally feel like this album is more toned down compared to their work before this one and Consequence, Q-Tip’s cousin, is all over the album. When I first sat down and went through the songs, listening to the album, it was a little annoying because I was so used to just Q-Tip and Phife Dawg doing their usual back and forth, yin and yang kinda thing they got going on but after a while it was no problem. Consequence had to grow on me for a while and he’s definitely no slouch on the mic. “Phony Rappers”, the opening track has a beat that’s hard but the instruments behind it makes it sounds so smooth at the same time. This is a joint about phony rappers who are not who they say or pretend to be, “Get a Hold”, the second joint, is another banger that you just put on while you sit in a room with your homies and pass around a spliff and just nod or good for riding out, “Motivators” is an uplifting joint about staying positive and forgetting about the haters, “Jam” is a joint with a name that fits and has some great blues and jazz sounds behind it, “Crew” sounds kinda Neo-Soul-ish. It’s that kinda shit that sounds like a Erykah Badu, a D’Angelo, The Roots, Mos Def or Jill Scott joint. “The Pressure” is my personal favorite joint on the album because of Ali Shaheed’s dope cuts and scratches on the beat that sounds like a perfect ode to the group while cutting and scratching a few of their classic hits. The song also talks about the pressures of being in the music industry. “1nce Again” is my second favorite joint on the album because of the beat and Tammy Lucas’ smooth voice on the chorus. She’s the same girl who sang on her own version of Heavy D’s 1992 classic “Is It Good to You” and it can be heard on the “JUICE” soundtrack to the movie starring Omar Epps and the late great 2Pac. “Mind Power” is a joint that’s okay. It’s not a joint I would put on first but it’s cool, “The Hop” is another Neo-Soul sound influenced joint. It’s also my third favorite joint on the album because of the beat; Hey! I love a dope ass beat to nod at and it’s what keeps me listening. “Keeping It Moving” is another okay joint to me, I’m not that crazy about it so the title fits but let’s keep it moving. “Baby Phife’s Return”, yoooo Phife spits in his regular way, he uses his Trinidadian accent when he gets into the track, very bold and very representative of being the kid from Queens who loves hip hop. You can hear it in his voice. Damn, I miss him so much. Word. “Separate/Together” is a very short track but it’s dope as hell and my fourth favorite. The bridge is extra catchy too. “We got ta do our due, let’s separate together, got ta move on through, let’s separate together….” Then, “What Really Goes On” has a beat that goes “We got dat bump-da bump-da bum bum bump!” The hardest joint on the album. Sounds like Mobb Deep could have been on this joint too. “Word Play” is another smooth smoke a joint kinda joint too. It’s the smoothest joint on the album with a hard bass that kicks in for a second and it sounds almost hypnotizing. The album finishes with “Stressed Out”, a hard joint with the smooth vocals of Faith Evans. This joint wouldn’t be the same without Faith and the remix is even harder with Raphael Saadiq. BANANAS! 20 years later I just wish my boy Phife was here to see this album make 20. This is hip hop that will never get old. Happy 20th to “Beats, Rhymes & Life”, rest in beats to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor and thank you Tribe for changing my life. Word. One love.