In case you are one of the folks who don’t know what’s going on (and if you still don’t want to know, I salute you. Now skip this post), a few nights ago Havoc started spewing all kinds of poorly spelled jibba-jabba at Prodigy on the Twitter insulting him and his manhood, only for Prodigy to respond with some ALL-CAPS barbs of his own. A few hours later both individuals claimed that it “wasn’t them” who wrote them, with Havoc using the telltale “my account was hacked” excuse and P one-upping him in the creative department by saying that it was a “fake” account (which, oddly enough, was “verified”).
Now, of course the rest of the hip-hop world has to have their own say in the matter, and when Peter Rosenberg asked Fat Joe he said it was the “9/11″ of hip hop.” I’d probably break my neck shaking my head so much at that logic. So now I ask you, the viewer: what are your thoughts on this whole fiasco? For me, I don’t care; I’m still trying to find out if Mary J Blige will come out and sing the ingredients of the new Crispy Chicken Snack Wraps at Burger King whenever I inquire about them. But perhaps I’m in the minority with this one.
Here’s a “touchy” topic I’m gonna take a chance with. I expect some flack for it too, but remember, this is solely my opinion. In all fairness, I know that I’m not the only one that shares this opinion, although those of us who do are in a minority. Some of you may yell “Blasphemy!” Fine. Let me reiterate: this is solely my personal opinion. The topic? My overall love and admiration for It Was Written over Illmatic.
If you watch Hou$e of Lie$, you’d know who Megalyn Echikunwoke is. Trust me, you need to watch Hou$e of Lie$ if only for catching her bucket-nekkid half all the time.
We’ve all seen the list, and we all know we have our own respective opinions on the matter. Now it’s your turn: who would you have rather seen on XXL’s 2012 Freshmen list, and who would you have replaced for that artist?
Oh, and for archival eye candy purposes hit the jump…
Now that MTV’s Hottest MCs in the Game list was fully revealed over the weekend, where do y’all stand with it? Just a brief glimpse at our c-section and I can already tell folks were never happy. Complaints about Rick Ross being #1; YMCMB taking 3 of the top 5 spots; Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, ____ and ____ being left out and so on. The question we’d like to know though… if y’all were given the chance to sit on the panel, who would you vote for? Top 10, in order, go…
Last month, DJ Eclipse blessed the dopehouse with an incredible and insightful editorial, building on the notion of the “instant artist” and how the game has become deplorably saturated. Today, E comes through with yet another dope article and reflects on “14 Years of Rap,” and in traditional Eclipse style, also comes bearing gifts. And trust me, this is a great gift! Peep his words:
DJ Eclipse: On March 7th, 2012 I will be celebrating the 14th anniversary of The Halftime Show on 89.1FM WNYU. As some of you know I usually recruit around 30 MCs, a couple DJs and 3 or 4 producers. The theme of the show is to capture Hip Hop in it’s purest form…live rhyming, DJ routines and beat making. It’s definitely a challenge each year trying to get that many people into one room all the while making sure it’s a different batch of people from whoever was up the year before. And being that next year (2013) will be my 15th anniversary and should be a monumental show I thought this year would be a good time to reflect. So this year’s theme will be “14 Years Of Rap.” A collection of some of the best past freestyles from guests we’ve had up on the show. Mainly focusing on the first few years.
When the question “Who is the Godfather / pioneer of Hip-Hop” arises, 98% of the time, most will answer Kool Herc. The other 2% usually answer with Afrika Bambaataa, however, the credit undoubtedly goes to the former, Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell. The Jamaican born-and-bred innovator took the knowledge he gained while growing up in Kingston, Jamaica; captivated by the throbbing basslines emanating from stacks of speakers (known as sound systems) and adopted it while growing up in the South Bronx.
The second law of thermodynamics is known as entropy, which states that over time, a person, place or thing will move from a perfectly ordered state to a disordered one. While in its original context, entropy relates to heat and energy conversion, it can also be applied to the physical life, with the slight exception that human intervention can sometimes prevent, or at least slow down the speed of entropy. Think of a house that needs serious restoration: over time, it will eventually decay, and if no one tends to it to prevent this, that house will eventually crumble into itself. However, if someone decides to take the initiative to restore it, whether by replacing or repairing the foundation, priming and painting the walls and adding extra support, one can save the house.
With the recent hoopla surrounding the latest rap “battle” (I use that term very lightly because a tried and tested MC like Common battling an R&B artist with an overtly chivalrous nature like Drake is like holding a candle to the Sun), I wanted to first, highlight one of my favorite battles ever, and two, get the dopeboyz and girlz’s favorite battles. Now let me make a disclaimer before the pro-Drake assault begins: I am a huge fan of Drake’s MC capabilities, as he showcased on Comeback Season, I just simply cannot get down with the singing. Sure, that was a little trite. Whatever.
Along with the 2DBz’s new editorial initiative we’ve recently launched, we’re also bringing a different perspective from a legend who has been a positive contributor to the culture for nearly 21 years now. For those who may be unacquainted with the man, I’ll give a short history lesson: DJ Eclipse held down the spot as a member of, and official DJ to the Non Phixion outfit since it’s inception. On top of that, he’s a proud member of the Rock Steady Crew, a member of the Brooklyn Slumlordz (who’s crafted some of your favorite Hip-Hop party breaks) and has sat behind the boards of some really ill, and unfortunately, very slept-on 90s remixes. And it doesn’t stop there. He’s been the official DJ to 3rd Bass, has rubbed shoulders with Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito on WKCR, held down a great job at Fat Beats NYC, and currently heads The Halftime Show with DJ Skizz on 89.1 WNYU. This humble brother, originally from Rhode Island, has even sat in on the Illmatic sessions (which I just only recently discovered, furthermore showing his humility). So when it comes to Hip-Hop and it’s vulnerable culture, you need to stop what ya doing, pay attention and listen.
AFH catches up with the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Kendrick Lamar, Skyzoo, Freddie Gibbs, Skillz, Murs and more to ask them who their first favorite rapper was. And now I’d like to turn the question to y’all. Mine? DMX.
If you’ve been checking the dopehouse since it was built in 2007, you know each year myself and Mek compile our list of our favorites from the past 365. And while we’re narrowing down our selections as I type, I wanted to involve the dopeboyz/girlz and get y’all opinions on the matter. So, hit the jump and mark down your favorites in each of the categories listed below.
TOP 5 ALBUMS
TOP 5 MIXTAPES
TOP 5 EPS
TOP 5 SONGS
RAoF of the YEAR
Ever wanted to know what some of your favorite artists’ first music purchase was? Check as AFH gets Big Daddy Kane, DJ Jazzy Jeff, 9th Wonder, Murs, Kendrick Lamar, XV, Statik Selektah, Fashawn, tabi Bonney, Skyzoo, Serius Jones, Rapsody, Skillz and stic.man to reveal their answers.
