Tag: hip hop

Adhama “Pretty Lyon” Cruel

Adhama “Pretty Lyon” Cruel is Brooklyn, NY native as well as overall entertainer. As a recording artist, dancer, model, and actress “Pretty Lyon” as she is known professionally has put together quite an impressive resume of work in New York City and the surrounding areas. A trained dancer and vocalist, PrettyLyon released her project, Princess Of Brooklyn Mixtape and participated in The Black Light Chronicles, which serves as a compilation album featuring established contemporaries.

Wanting nothing more than to be a model for hard work, and quality Pretty Lyon is a spokeswoman for the unity of women in Hip Hop and the entertainment industry as a whole. Living, and breathing the arts both inside and out of the booth Pretty Lyon is at home as a creator. The ever personable upstart is on the scene frequently shaking hands and creating relationships that will last, while promoting her brand. Turning her childhood passion for writing poems into full compositions of music that share her thoughts, experiences and speak for those who are voiceless in a sense. The release of her debut Good Girl Bad Habits introduced this Princess to the world and her moves henceforth have solidified the reason for her being on a lot of people’s radar. With more to come, Pretty Lyonis certainly an artist who will come to blossom in today’s entertainment business creating a catalog of great work.

– IMDb Mini Bio

Written by Charisse Smith

Rodent episode 2

If you had an opportunity to watch Rodent, Episode 1 than you would know that the show is packed with drama. Episode 2 is no different. In the absence of Hammer Thornton Vanessa Hollingsworth has been making some corporate decisions. She has been hiring anyone that came into White Lines Media. Felix and Niles are not feeling the decisions that Vanessa is making. Her excuse is that Hammer can’t be there because he is tied up at the moment! When she said he was tied up at the moment she did not just mean that figuratively. She meant it literally. She had the man tied up in her bedroom and was drugging him up. Thank God for his wife and two closest friends. They saved him from Vanessa but that was after Niles made a pass at Gladys. I wonder what will become of that! Felix has a problem of his own. Farrah came off of the elevator of White Lines Media and caught him lip locking with the new talent who is also  his new girlfriend. She gave oh boy back his ring and told him that she will see him in court after dismissing ole girl. At least Farrah was woman enough to know that it was not the girl’s fault.

I guess you want to know what is going on with Drew and his drama! His sister Khris called Pops over to the house. She had some really disturbing news. She is pregnant. Pop swore to kill Drew’s friend only thing is his friend denied ever having sex with Khris. I guess it’s time for a DNA test. That is not all that is going on with the Douglass family. Drew is over at his children’s mother’s apartment when Pops walk in with a key. Before Drew even has an opportunity to find out why his dad has the key to the apartment Pops goes off on Drew about him being irresponsible and not having a job. Wait that’s not the end. Drew is in the room about to be intimate with the mother of his children while Pops is behind the door with his shirt off.

In Episode 1 Ebony told Porsha to find her own hive. Porsha turns to her mother’s long- time boyfriend Greg for a place to stay. Greg watched Porsha grow up all of her life but that doesn’t make him resist when Porsha uses her black girl magic to entice her mother’s boyfriend into sleeping with her. While they are making it do what it do, in walks Ebony with a key that Greg gave her. Imagine his surprise when Ebony informs him that Porsha is her daughter.

Meanwhile Krystal decides to go out clubbing with her straight friends Farrah and Michelle. They are hungover and asleep when Krystal hears her girlfriend Dime walking out. She wakes her girls up and tries to get them out of the apartment before Dime can get an attitude. All hell broke loose when Dime finds Krystal’s bra laying on the sofa. This is when Dime decides to smack daylights out of Krystal!!!!

I am telling you episode 2 was definitely something to be watched. Between the fight scene with Vanessa and Gladys, Felix getting caught by his wife, Pop’s in Drew’s Baby momma’s apartment I was on the edge of my seat. Khris being pregnant and the sex scene between the father and daughter was over the top. I sure cannot wait for Episode 3. This is definitely All my Children In The Hood.

Written By: Regina Alston

Jalen Hemphill

Jalen Hemphill is an aspiring singer/songwriter, dancer, DJ, actor,  hip hop enthusiast, and blogger. He has been entertaining his whole life but didn’t decide to want to do it professionally until he was 14 years old. He is currently a student at Hostos Community College working towards his associates degree in Liberal Arts and after graduating, he will be working towards his dreams of becoming a professional entertainer. 

One of Jalens’ attributes is his clothing line. A true Hip Hop Fan, Jalen aka Jay-Doggz wardrobe represent true 80s and 90s hip hop. Look out for this young aspiring talent actor/singer/songwriter. With many hats on his head theres no telling what he has to offer. He is a brilliant individual with an amazing, headstrong attitude. His fashion style and just the way he promotes himself as a person reveals how socially structured he is. He sticks to his own style, he doesn’t care for opinions against it because it makes up who he is. His charm when speaking brings many in, as he is generally a nice guy and is always willing to help whenever possible. He’s a down to earth young man and to be within his circle of friends would be the best choice anyone has ever made.

His motivation will drive you, just as much as it drives him to become the best version of himself.

He will be great.

 

Happy National DJ Day: The Legacy of The DJ

It is most definitely safe to say that from the beginning of hip hop’s existence in the world, the DJ is the most important person when it comes to hip hop. For the past 40 plus years, the world has seen hip hop evolved along with the DJ. The world has seen so many DJ’s from all over the world, rocking on the 1’s and 2’s, and not only just spinning hip hop joints but other forms and types of music as well. DJ’s of all ages, shapes, sizes, man or woman. The DJ is the one who is responsible for providing the people good times and good music. The DJ is responsible for not only making sure people have a good time but they also gave birth to breakdancers and producers as well. Way back in 1973, there was a guy who moved here in the South Bronx all the way from Jamaica with his parents. He decided to throw a block party that happened on August 11th. This guy is not only started something brand new but he pioneered a new style too. His name is DJ Kool Herc aka The Father of Hip Hop. Hip hop’s very first DJ and the first to develop the mixing back and forth technique, which is what we call the cross fade today. The technique was created to extend the instrumental long enough to keep people dancing. That segment is also called the Break. This is where the birth of the breakdancer happens. The breakdancers come in and dance while the DJ does the break. All throughout the 70’s, other DJ’s became popular as well. Afrika Bambaataa, who is responsible for the Universal Zulu Nation. A group he created to help spread and introduce hip hop everywhere else. Grandmaster Flash, another early hip hop pioneer who invented the back spin and the punch phrasing. The back spin technique was created to extend the popular drum breaks on a song and constantly replaying it on one copy and then playing it again while it’s cued up on the extra copy being used on the turntable deck. The punch theory is used to isolate short parts in a song and rhythmically using them over a beat. Grandmaster Flash also created a popular hip hop group that we all know today as Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. The members are Cowboy, Melle Mel, and The Kidd Creole. Another pioneer during the 70’s is Grand Wizard Theodore. He invented the scratching technique, accidentally. He was also given credit for his needle dropping technique as well and then there is Grandmaster Flowers. Another early pioneer in hip hop as well. Many have debated over whether or not it was Flowers or Kool Herc who pioneered hip hop culture. Flowers is a pioneer from Brooklyn who also threw block parties but he included the disco and funk scene in his parties and even did a show with James Brown. Although, Flowers is not someone who a lot of people really know about because he never continued on with his legacy and the others who came along at the time were way more popular. For the past 40 plus years since the early days of hip hop, there has tremendous amounts of amazing DJ’s to come from all over and even use the same techniques that were created by the pioneers we all know and respect. The incredible talents of other DJ’s that we have seen in hip hop over the years has brought us many different styles of DJ’s because of where they come from and what style was in their music. Whether they were producers like Prince Paul, Timbaland, Marley Marl, or Kay Gee, whether they were in a group like DJ Scratch, Terminator X, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, or Jam Master Jay, radio DJ’s like Funkmaster Flex, Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Hollywood, or DJ Envy, mixtape DJ’s like DJ Clue or S&S, and there are women who are also a big part of this as well like Jazzy Joyce or Spinderella. Hip hop DJ’s had evolved into new levels and heights that helped reinvent the culture almost all the time. Even with the technological advancements, DJ has become both easier and harder depending on the person behind the equipment. Overall, the DJ is the most Important in hip hop. Without them, there’s no music. If there’s no music, there’s no parties, no nothing. Happy National DJ Day and salute to all of the DJ’s everywhere rocking on the 1’s & 2’s.

The Predator: The 25th Anniversary!

After having two successful albums that touched on more political topics like police brutality and injustice, Ice Cube returns with his third album “The Predator” on November 17th, 1992. 25 years later, it’s an album that’s still relevant and still timeless. With only three singles released, “it Was a Good Day”, “Wicked” and “Check Yo Self”, Cube still comes raw and unfiltered, unapologetic and truthful, in your face and knowledgeable about the realities of where he comes from and taking those experiences on another level to connect it to more worldly events that are similar. It’s not a personal favorite of mine from Cube but the lyrics are full of aggression and the production is still hardcore, street and heavy hitting. There’s no smiling or happy things about this man or his words. It’s frustration and demanding. Demanding enough to catch the hip hop fan’s attention and can easily piss of anyone whose ignorant. Not too many artists’ today have albums that’s just as powerful and raw like this. Everybody wants the truth but handle the truth. So who’s the real “predator” I ask?

Harlem World: The 20th Anniversary

20 years ago, there was this skinny, fly guy from Harlem. His style was laid back and he always smiled. Growing up in the streets of New York, nobody likes a person whose always smiling because it didn’t reflect the lifestyle of the streets. The streets are rough and nothing to play with but this guy made it okay for rappers to come from that lifestyle, be fresh, dance a little in your music videos, especially if you’re signed to Diddy and the Bad Boy family, and still smile. This guy was close friends with Cam’ron, Damon Dash was his manager until Big L came into the picture but it wasn’t until his sister got him to meet a guy named Cudda Love. Cudda Love was a road manager for The Notorious B.I.G. and in 1996, Cudda took this guy with him to Atlanta to meet Jermaine Dupri and Diddy. After meeting with Diddy, he was signed to Bad Boy. This guy we speaking of here is Mason Betha aka Ma$e. On October 28th, 1997, Ma$e released his debut album “Harlem World.” A hip hop album that only focused on life in Harlem, the streets, partying, having a good time, looking good, and getting with every pretty woman who walks by with a cute face and a fat ass. With only three singles released and an appearance on the remix of 112’s “Only You”, Ma$e quickly became a superstar overnight and took hip hop to its “bling bling” and shiny suit era. True hip hop fans weren’t pleased with the extravagance of things being in hip hop. It’s supposed to strictly be about the hard knock life but Ma$e definitely had his fair share of telling those hood tales too. Who’s to say that hip hop didn’t already get a taste of that bling bling life when LL put out “Walking With a Panther”? The only difference is that LL got flack for it, Ma$e didn’t get the same flack LL got but let’s keep it on topic. That’s a whole ‘nother story. After the success of “Harlem World”, nothing after that was as successful. Mase did appear on other songs and eventually put out more music but nothing had the same magic as “Harlem World.” Mase is one of those guys where people would debate whether or not he’s a legend. He may have not had a long lasting career but his debut is definitely something to still enjoy from start to finish. It’s a classic only from it’s time when hip hop when fully “bling bling.”

Living Large: The 30th Anniversary

There was once an energetic MC from Mount Vernon. He called himself the “overweight lover.” His name was Dwight Myers aka Heavy D. Heavy D formed a group with Glen Parrish aka “G-Whiz”, Troy Dixon aka “Trouble T-Roy”, and the infamous Edward Ferrell aka DJ Eddie F. Together they were Heavy D & The Boyz. They were the first act to be signed to Uptown Records and on October 27th, 1987, they released their debut album “Living Large.” It was definitely a dope album but it wasn’t a classic. The singles “The Overweight Lover’s In The House” and the remix of “Mr. Big Stuff” were the only singles released from the album. This thirteen track had that 80’s new jack sound and sing along hooks and choruses with the block party energy that got things started and jumping. Although this album is personally dope to me, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression like the upcoming Heavy D projects that followed after this one. The production sounds too similar to each other too. Besides the singles, “Dedicated”, “Moneyearnin’ Mount Vernon”, “On The Dance Floor”, and “Overweighter” to me are the best songs on the album. The rest are just fillers. Sounds more like demos to me. For a debut album, it’s most definitely a good start. A good way to get your foot into the door. Come back harder with on the next few albums and with that, Heavy sure did. Reminds me of his appearance on “A Different World” as well. He was definitely living large. Rest in peace to the overweight lover himself.

It’s About Time: The 25th Anniversary

25 years ago, three friends from The Bronx and Brooklyn came together to form as a singing group and then released their debut album. The three girls names are Cheryl, Leanne, and Tamara also known as Coko, Lelee and Taj, better known as SWV or Sisters With Voices. On October 27th, 1992, the group released their album “It’s About Time.” A 15 track album that’s filled with new jack swing, raw hip hop and R&B tracks. Every song from start to finish is a banger. Songs about relationships, love, and two playful but rapping tracks that perfectly gave the world a glimpse of what these around-the-way girls were all about. SWV was the first girl group in the 90’s to come out with the around-the-way girl image and still able to achieve mainstream success, while others had an image that was more colorful and baggy or the typical high heels and dresses and makeup, SWV kept it hood. Coko’s extremely long fingernails, to 5411 Reeboks and Doc Marten boots to oversized baseball jerseys and jeans, they had an image that regular girls back in the hood of the NYC had. I wasn’t even born when this classic was released but it’s an album that I’m super familiar with and love so much. It’s my favorite album from SWV. This album also had the most hits released. As I sit up at 3 in the morning, looking at and holding the album in my hand, I see the girls on the cover just chillin’ in their element. The SWV logo in a lime green diamond with the letters SWV in dark pink on the top right side on the corner. This means that this is the original 1992 release. This release doesn’t have the “Human Nature” remix version of “Right Here”, instead it’s the Vibe Mix but an instrumental. The April 1993 release has the logo on the opposite side on the cover and has the “Human Nature” remix. It’s 3:14am and for the past almost half an hour, I had “Anything” on a loop. It’s the perfect opening for an album like this. Something soulful, smooth, and gets you ready for the upbeat tracks that follow after. The next song “I’m So Into You” is one of the singles released from the album and then followed by “Right Here.” “Right Here” is SWV’s debut single. The song that put them on in the first place. The song with the video our parents saw back in the summer of 1992. They were bopping and pointing and dancing all over the place. Taj’s rap is unforgettable. Love hearing her rap. Then it’s their signature hit “Weak.” This is the SWV song that everybody knows. Even our little cousins heard it and they don’t know nothing about no SWV. LOL! This is the song you hear girls singing in talent shows all the time. “You’re Always On My Mind” was another smooth joint and “Downtown” was on another level. “You’re Always On My Mind”‘was the phone call to your lover and you told them how much you thought about them but “Downtown” was the invite over to theirs or your place to what we call nowadays a little “Netflix and chill.” The lyrics were very clear about what they meant by “downtown.” Real grown folk music at the moment. “Coming Home” took it back upbeat after you come back “uptown”, “Give It to Me” was also another upbeat banger. This is the new jack swing/hip hop part of the album. “Blak Pudd’n” is my second favorite after “Anything.” The track basically could’ve been a remix to “Downtown” but with a beat. The rapping of course is dope and it hits hard with the beat. Taj holds her own as a MC. The title track itself is just as beautiful as “Anything” to me. The song gives me that classic girl group vibe and Coko reminds me of Stephanie Mills on this song. The harmonies, the hook, the chorus, everything about it makes it such a perfect song. “Think You’re Gonna Like It” is the heaviest new jack joint on the album and “That’s What I Need” is a mix of both new jack and soul. The album ends off with “SWV (In The House)”, my third favorite, an a Capella version of “Weak” and then the Vibe Mix of “Right Here.” Definitely a no wrong doer album. A classic. Very nostalgic for me. Another joint I grew up listening to without my mom’s permission but she played this in that Sony 5 disc changer radio that I loved so much as a kid. The good old days. SWV will be celebrated for their reaching 25 years in the game at the Soul Train Awards in November. It’s the perfect time. It’s about time.

Paid In Full: The 15th Anniversary

Powerful, edgy, intense is what they say. The three words used by TV critics to describe the movie. The streets say real, relatable, a true story, and definitely a classic. On October 25th, 2002, the movie “Paid In Full” was released. Starring Wood Harris as “Ace”, Cam’ron as “Rico”, and Mekhi Phifer as “Mitch” or “Money Makin’ Mitch.” The movie is based on a true story between three Harlem friends named Azie “AZ” Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martine, during the 1980’s, who were notorious drug dealers. Of course, the friendship doesn’t last and things turn very ugly in the end but only one survives it all. Got himself in the game and got himself out in the smartest way possible. The movie is not only a reflection of the streets but it’s also a learning lesson. It can teach you about the realities of the street life and how real things can get. It can also teach you that the street life isn’t for everybody and for the most obvious reason, it’s a dangerous game to play. It’s a hip hop classic that never gets old. A classic that you can enjoy at night after a long day, eating Chinese food and drinking iced tea. Maybe roll a joint and smoke or too as well. It’s exciting, it’s funny, it’s interesting, it’s deep, it makes your head bop along to the soundtrack and there’s not one boring moment in the movie. Altogether, it’s what makes this movie so timeless. 15 years later, watching it is like it just came out. All over again.

The World’s Greatest Entertainer: The Legacy of Doug E. Fresh

Doug E. Fresh is one of hip hop’s greatest entertainers to ever lived. With such an amazingly and dope ability to beatbox, he still kills at every show he attends. He definitely lives up to his name the “Human Beatbox.” I was fortunate to see him live twice. The first time was at a Krush Groove reunion show at B.B. Kings on 42nd Street back in 2012 I think it was and the second time was recently back in May during Bronx Week uptown, here in the Bronx. Of course, when Doug E. shows up, Slick Rick is not too far behind. Literally, it was the one of the greatest hip hop shows I’ve ever been too. Performing hit after hit, beatboxing non stop, straight for like 5 minutes as he keeps his energy to continue killing it on the mic, Doug E. definitely holds it down and puts on a great show. Never a dull moment. The history of Doug E. Fresh starts back in 1984 when he began as a solo artist on Enjoy Records. Shortly after that, he teamed up with two DJ’s Barry Bee and Chill Will and a newcomer MC who goes by MC Ricky D, later becoming Slick Rick, and together they are the Get Fresh Crew. A year later, “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” was released. Both joints are to be considered hip hop’s earliest classics. Later on, Slick Rick eventually left the crew to pursue a solo career with Def Jam and released “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick”, which is a top 10 hip hop album for me personally and Doug E. and the rest of the crew released two albums back to back. 1986’s “Oh, My God!” and 1988’s “The World’s Greatest Entertainer.” Both albums are written to be hip hop classics and they’re both are out of print and are rare to find nowadays. It would be great to actually find it. Not giving up hope. Another main single from Doug E. is “Keep Risin’ To The Top.” One of my all time favorites and samples from Keni Burke’s song with a similar title. Another personal favorite of mine. Doug E. then returns in 1992 after a hiatus to release “Doin’ What I Gotta Do.” It didn’t have the same success as his first two albums but it did release a single called “Bustin’ Out (On Funk).” A year later, Doug E. comes back with “I-ight (Alright)” and “Freaks” with Lil’ Vicious. In 1995, Doug E. reunites with Slick Rick for a joint album called “Play” with the single “Where’s Da Party At?”, which is also a favorite. With only a list of maybe 10 big hits since the 80’s, Doug E. Fresh still continues and manages to kill shows like he did back then. Never a dull moment at a Doug E. show, it’s impossible. I’m just glad to able to witness greatness not once, but twice and they were both moments I’ll never forget.