John Robinson – Life Away

Mike Swift – Wishing Star

Kid ‘N Play – Do the Kid ‘N Play Kick Step

THIS

Rakim – How To Emcee

“It’s hard, this intricate flippin’ it isn’t? Bars is infinite
So Ra deliver it far different…
Part lyricist, part instrument
Start spittin’ it, the more articulate y’all rhythms get
‘Till every syllable you drop it pivotal…
If it’s not original, it’s not as memorable…
Ill lyrical ’till you’re so popular they sick of you
Pandemical threat, level 5, it’s critical…”

I didn’t grow up on Rakim, but of course his name is legendary. Everytime I do some digging into Rakim’s work though, I get a glimpse of what it’s all about.

For me, it’s this 3rd verse here that effectively demonstrates his prowess in rhyming, more than countless verses could. Why? Because in a song called “How to emcee”, Rakim recognizes that he’s done enough already and people listening know who he is, as well as the roads he’s paved. And bragging doesn’t serve well, so he simply: 1) teaches; and 2) demonstrates. And in these few opening bars of that final verse, you get to hear him put his knowledge of emceeing into practice, just a little bit. You realize based on this that he has broken the code (many would say he wrote that code), so he’s really just showing you a smidgen of how far he could take that style. So, holding back a bit, less becomes more. What he demonstrates in just those lines is far enough up the technical scale to show people that he has mastered it. You know??

Hell Razah – Keeper of the Flame

“Christ had said that he’d be back. So what if he and Mary Magdalene decided to rap?…”

“Let’s remember, be clear. GGO is in FULL EFFECT, coming…

Trust, this movement is MASSIVE…

The planet has not seen such likes of this movement right here, be clear…”

I’ve been following Hell Razah, aka Heaven Razah, aka El Raziel for quite a few years now. I became a fan after hearing his verse on GZA’s second album “Beneath the Surface”…

They’ve been talking about the Ghetto Government movement (aka Ghetto Govt Officialz, GGO) for some time, all throughout their different mixtapes and street DVDs. Back when not everything was on Youtube, but also not everything was being taken off of Youtube. There were a lot of gems in those works. Razah was talking about what happened 3 years ago, 15 years before that, if you know what I mean. People could just have an impact by coming out with a DVD and handing it out or selling it to people. With all of the censorship today, perhaps that may be coming back again.

I always liked the sound of the Ghetto Government movement. Sounded like something tangible, change that could really happen from the ground up. The other day I was thinking about how money is really just a (faulty) representation of people exchanging work. So if paper can get people to use their own talents and energies to work, then why can’t people just stand up and work for each other, for something bigger than money? We’re made to think sometimes that change can’t happen from the ground up, without the system. But, if on the count of three everyone in a community got together and decided to work on something, wouldn’t change start to happen just like that?

One thing we hear a lot about in Hip-hop music are the struggles in the ghetto. Sometimes this made me feel like there was no hope, with so many people trapped in the urban jungle, no resources, just surviving day to day. But at the end of the day people are the ones who have all the power. There’s so much hope; ‘the people’ just have to remember the power of coming together. Whether you call it GGO, or anything else, it’s a powerful idea that isn’t going to die, no matter what ‘they’ try.,

Mase – Wasting My Time

Just too dope

Jazz Spastiks – Move feat. Apani B Fly

Something to warm y’all up. We posted the remix some time back. I just assumed the original wouldn’t be that special… but it’s like a whole new song.

Run-DMC – Christmas Is

Sonny Seeza (of Onyx) – AllSkool

This is one of those tracks that’s hardcore in more ways than one. This is hardcore hip-hop, not just hardcore rap. This is one of those die-hard odes to hip-hop culture. Respect to Sonny Seez.

Intelligent Hoodlum – The Posse (Shoot ‘Em Up)

Another history lesson here!