Not only did NYOIL attend Al Sharpton's but he that others soon picked up and then put out a entitled:
Walk into a Record Store and Support Good Music...
That would be a True March for Decency!!!
Sance, who bills himself as a "responsible rapper", is promoting his debut release 2829 as a .
Posted by Clyde on May 6, 2007 in It's interesting to see how the responses to controversies over rap lyrics and snitching quickly lead to marketing moves, whether self-protective or opportunistic.
Ethan Brown, whose work I'm just on now, makes the argument that strongly ties together corporate profits from hip hop and hip hop's connection with the stop snitching perspective:
I think that the fanatical emphasis on hip-hop and its “corporate” backers was meant to put the music in the shaky spot occupied by Death Row in the mid-1990s.
Remember that back then (1997 to be exact) Interscope actually sold off its interest in Death Row under pressure from hip-hop critics like the late C. DeLores Tucker..
.Hip-hop execs need to think fast about how to counter this sort of criticism.
It's important to remember that Imus wouldn't have gotten fired if corporate advertisers didn't withdraw support.
On a related note, Brown points out that Geoffrey Canada wonders what the shareholders of major corporations would think if they were played hip-hop records which used the 'N Word' liberally.
Though the widely noted closed door meeting of industry bigwigs regarding rap lyrics seemed to lead nowhere and initial pr was badly fumbled, I think the from Russell Simmons and Ben Chavis was the initial outcome under another name. It's pretty clear who they're protecting with the banning words approach.
Lots of rappers have joined in the discussion regarding rap lyrics but the first truly opportunistic business move in that discussion seems to be who stated:
On my new album I don’t say the word n***a, I don’t curse nowhere on my whole album...
People are not even gonna know it. I guarantee if I don’t go out and say it in the media they’re not even gonna realize that. People go back and listen to all of my old mixtapes and don’t even realize that I wasn’t even doing all that type of stuff.
I was saying n***a, but I wasn’t saying the 'f' word or [the] 'b' word. I was never saying those types of things..
.I hear that so much and it restricts your creativity and how far it can go.
However, opportunistic may be the wrong word here, since he's simply pointing out that he's tended to use less profanity and now will let it all go.
The response will be interesting but it also seems to fit his public image.
In response to reporters at the Plymouth Jazz Festival, put the depiction of women in videos directly on the women who are paid or even volunteer to perform and have the least power on a set, letting artists, directors and execs off the hook:
I have always been respectful of women. I am a lover of women and I always uplift them in my music .
. . but I also would love to see the women who are in the videos take responsibility for their actions.
I think that women got cut out of the loop and somewhere along the line someone said women cannot make decisions on their own. I am wondering why rappers have to be responsible for the decisions women make when they decide to get in vidoes and do certain things. I definitely think women are intelligent and strong enough as human beings to decide whether they want to be in videos that portray them in a certain way.
LL Cool J smartly couches his approach in a seeming respect for women as a whole that will appeal to many of his fans while doing nothing for any kind of improvement for the situation. He also suggests that everyone needs to take more responsiblity, effectively cutting off attacks and continuing with business as usual since he's unlikely to be a big target in this whole affair.
It sounds like he's pretty good off the cuff but it's looking like there will have to be a much bigger response from hip hop business people, especially those tied to mainstream outlets.
In addition, if the industry starts policing itself further or is generally reined in, that will open up a lot of possibilities for uncensored products.
Interesting times, to say the least.
Posted by Clyde on April 30, 2007 in I'm amazed at the reactions to of the a-holes who have been harassing and threatening her online.
If she were a hip hop blogger, she'd be ignored or ridiculed with folks discussing it privately.
But she's not a hip hop blogger, she's a tech blogger. And though tech bloggers have a long history of ignoring racist and sexist commentary on tech websites, apparently a lot of folks feel it's time to step up.
You can check Sierra's post for the story but be sure to check the comments. I've never seen anything like this in hip hop unless it was something like Katrina [i.e.
a no-brainer, though I'm glad folks cared].
Robert Scoble is in protest. Though silence is not typically the best response, in Scoble's case, the post will remain at the top of a highly trafficked and influential blog.
Again, the comments in Scoble's blog are amazing in their support for Sierra.
I shared at Brand Destruction Research where Ron E. of brandcurve informed me of their and campaign in response.
I can't honestly post a zero violence graphic at ProHipHop but it's a good thing to see.
If you do read the comments on Scoble's blog, you'll notice that a lot of people are talking about taking action and it sounds like Scoble's in.
I think this is going to be kind of fun.
The news that are partnering on what seems to be a new version of is kind of interesting, especially since about Battlerap.com remain unanswered.
What's doubly odd is that the is claiming this as the debut of Battle Rap though it's certainly not.
In other SRC news, BeatPhone is now offering over the phone previews of SRC singles via the .
Posted by Clyde on February 27, 2007 in I was checking out the above footage off the and I remembered a surprising discovery, after losing yet another blog battle, and nobody even noticed [because nobody really cared].
While most of what I know I can't share publically, I can say that after the incident in which KRS-One talked a lot of junk from behind the table in a crowded room but refused to talk with Adisa one on one without a group, a number of serious martial artists contacted Adisa to express their admiration for his ability to keep himself in check because they realized what Adisa was capable of doing to KRS-One.
In the above video, in which the choke out is shown from two different angles, the details are rather difficult to see but you'll notice that Adisa, who is on his back throughout, has a grip on his competitor's gi with the right forearm behind his neck, frees up his left arm and snakes it in front of his competitor's neck getting a hold on the other side and proceeds to crush the guy's windpipe and both major arteries cutting off blood and oxygen to the brain.
Adisa could tell the guy was going under but he refused to tap out so Adisa kept the Ezekial or loop choke in place until the ref ended the match. Note that the competitor who is on top rolls off with a goofy look and a weird arm shape because he was going into some kind of seizure.
He then passed out but came to before the EMTs arrived and was able to make it home ok.
Adisa felt bad about that. I say the fool should have tapped out.
I was referencing ProHipHop coverage of the encounter between KRS-One and Adisa Banjoko at Stanford earlier this year and realized that I hadn't tied the posts together so, here we go:
Disclaimer:
Adisa's one of my closest friends and I've got his back.
Posted by Clyde on December 26, 2006 in Adisa Banjoko has a nice piece on , if the Bay wants to take advantage of this moment in time. Actually, it's a series of points on doing business well and for the long haul, something that is difficult for hustlers to understand.
And you know hip hop is full of hustlers.
Here's his first point:
1. You must learn to see what you are d oing beyond the hustle and turn what you are doing into a business.
E-40 and Too Short’s success did not happen overnight. It was the result of many years of recording, doing shows, selling tapes outta the trunk, learning the in’s and out’s of distributio n, learning how to use the media to your advantage, etc. At some point, they made the actual transition from the hustle into the business.
If you fail to do that, you can expect failure period.
Point 5 on marketing is pretty good too, especially sin ce he mentions me!:
5.
Look at yourself, and your group. Are you marketable? Why should someone buy your music over the next rappers CD?
If your only response is, “’Cause I’m hella raw”, that’s not enough. Do you know what a brand is? Do you know what your company’s position is?
Do you know what messaging is? What does your press kit look like? What is the difference between public relations and advertising?
Do you know what kind of habits build and destroy brands? In an oversaturated market you need very edge you can have. Do you visit sites like www.
prohiphop.com ? Knowledge is the key.
But there is no better branding than making good music, and conducting positive business.
The piece is also up at but, unfortunately, what could have been a highly productive discussion got redirected by Kris Kringle cultists.
I'll say this about the .
Adisa's worked really hard to honor the peace and to keep his people cool while folks claiming to be KRS-One supporters keep trying to stir things up. Not a smart m ove in the long run unless these supposed supporters of KRS-One are actually undercover agitator brothers whose job it is to create disturbances. That's a so it raises some interesting questions about various individuals' actual agendas.
Think about it.
Posted by Clyde on May 11, 2006 in Not just because of hip hop, but because of all the arts, especially dance, performance and visual arts. I had a subscription to The kept me up, not just on arts happenings there, but also on the gentrification struggles in the East Village, the conflicts in Central Workers Party members by the Klan in Greensboro, NC with what still Of course, the Village Voice is just a shadow of its former self, but it was once a major internationally respected newspaper.
More importantly, it was one of my connections to things that meant something to me on a deep level. And while a lot of my feelings about New York relate to the past, I generally have had positive thoughts about the city over the years.
The first part, that should include the accusations/threats made by KRS-One against Adisa Banjoko, has also been made available on Odeo: I may have to wait and listen to the whole thing because I have to be honest, my eyes glaze over when people start making these detailed distinctions between what is and what isn't hip hop.
But, honestly, I'm not buying the hip hoppa label and related in-group language as just a form of respect for the past and a warm hearted attempt to define values. It's got this weird, made up, cultish vibe to it that makes me want to look more closely at what Kris is actually attempting to build now that his performing career is over. For earlier posts regarding this event, see ProHipHop's new .
I personally feel that this is a bad look for Kris but my understanding is that the situation is rather volatile and that the current silence of so many of the academics and journalists present, many of them considered leaders in their fields, is not a good thing. It's a more serious situation than they may wish to believe.
However, in addition to , the story has been picked up by .
Posted by Clyde on March 7, 2006 in Jay's referring to it at KRSgate . Apparently it broke on his weekend show.
Update:
I'm listening to the audio now.
This is where KRS-One accuses Adisa Banjoko of being an FBI agent and then making extremely threatening statements and, possibly, shutting down the panel at that point. From earlier audio I've heard and that I assume will be released, since the most damaging material has been posted, KRS had already seriously disrupted the meeting, refusing to really listen to anyone else and going on bizarre tangents related to hip hop history.
One thing that you miss on this to which Jay Smooth links is the powerful leadership role Davey D took as things were sliding.
He did his best to focus discussion and try to keep folks cool but the audio currently available covers only the final disintegration. Interestingly, Kris got agitated earlier and appears to have entered a strangely calm state when making his most violent accusations in this audio segment.
What should have been another great event for hip hop in the wake of the was marred Saturday.
The Stanford Hip Hop Archives in which my friend Adisa Banjoko participated.
I don't have official news, though I hope to have a statement from Adisa before too long, but my understanding is that during a panel appearance KRS-One freaked out and started accusing Adisa of various things including being an FBI agent. A variety of things were said and it looks like an ugly scene ensued, though there was no violence at the event.
Obviously, given my longstanding relationship with Adisa, I won't be covering this from anything like an objective position. However, beyond individual positions, this doesn't seem to be a good look for hip hop or for Kris. More when I have it.
Update:
Since it looks like I won't get anything substantial for awhile, let me fill in some background from what I already know about some prior issues between Adisa and Kris.
Adisa Banjoko has had a long standing challenge to debate KRS-One over what Adisa terms philosophical differences. It goes back so far he even wrote about in his first blog post.
Although he generally speaks of KRS-One with respect, perhaps got things stirred up again:
KRS-ONE is a good brother. I love him but he ducked me. But I know why.
. . [KRS-ONE] has too much to lose.
He would get broke by me on the podium. Of course, Adisa has also always been clear that his aim is a fair debate rather than a bout of mudslinging. Hopefully Kris will recognize that fact as well.
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