POWER

This picture of Kanye West and Lebron James was taken right after Lebron’s hour-long special on ESPN where he announced his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign with the Miami Heat. In Hiphop parlance, what Lebron James did would be considered a “POWER MOVE.” Not only because he left his hometown of Cleveland, where he was an icon, but more so because of his chosen destination of Miami, where he will join a team that includes Dwayne Wade, a superstar in his own right.

Lebron’s decision, and its professional ramifications, coupled with the fact that it was orchestrated in part by elite players, who leveraged their talent in a way never before seen in NBA history, illustrated a type of maneuvering rarely executed by and among Black athletes in America, WHILE ACTIVELY PLAYING or otherwise for that matter. But this Picture of Lebron and Kanye, whose song Power, (which I’m sure by now everyone has heard), made me think of Lebron’s POWER MOVE within the context of Hiphop itself and its ramifications for the society at large.

Make no mistake Lebron is a Hiphop head. One of the few B-ball players to receive a certified cultural Hiphop co-sign, in the tradition of Shaq and A.I. From doing the “Kid N Play 2 step”, to grabbing the mic at his birthday party, to choppin it up consistently with Jay-Z, Hiphop culture is the muse and template for his NBA career. His desire to be a billionaire is aspirations by Hiphop culture more than anything else. Even though he declined to join Jay-Z and The Brooklyn Nets, his photo with Kanye West let you know, that his decision was informed in part by his aspirations as seen through the lens of Hiphop culture. Lebron wants Billions AND glory. In other words, he wants it all….and what’s more Hiphop than that?

I first visited Miami a.k.a. South Florida (most Haitians call all of Florida MAYAMI) on some party shit in 1999. A lot of my fam had been moving there and this was my first visit since they did. I linked my Brooklyn cousins who were staying in Fort Lauderdale. A former Flatbush, Brooklyn resident, he told me about and took me to two parties. “Top Shotta” Fridays at Club Crystal and “Rockers Island” (an obvious play on New York’s Riker’s Island” jail) at Club Amnesia. Both parties were located at this spot in the city called South Beach. I wasn’t feeling the South Beach vibe, but the parties and the playlist on the radio, as it was the beginning of uniformity of playlists across regions, fortified the notion that my cousin and others had been telling me which was that Miami, had many similarities at least culturally, to New York, mainly ethnic diversity. Two incidents in particular, while on that trip showed me this fact even further.

The first one happened on our way home from South Beach after one of the parties. We heard a song by someone who sounded to us like Master P. We thought it WAS Master P. The MC in the song had a line about, “ ….you don’t know no Nigga with more Polo gear than me, girl.” Me being a LO head from Brooklyn, I found this statement highly amusing. At the time, I couldn’t fathom a dude from Miami, who sounded like he just left the plantation, could have more Polo gear than me. On the heels of the mainstream success of Master P and Cash Money, “ Nann Nigga” by Trick Daddy became the song from The South, which broke through in NY. Funk Flex, who was at the Miami Superbowl in Jan 1999, started pumping it hard upon his return, effectively beginning the process, from a GRASSROOTS LEVEL of The South’s dominance across all regions.

The second experience that I had happened while we were helping a friend of my Aunt’s, move. I was chopping it up with a real dark-skinned dude with dreads and a deep southern drawl,. When he turned around to speak with my aunt, he began speaking flawless Haitian Creole. I was amazed. Little did I know that dark skin dreads who spoke Creole had a bit of a rep in Miami.

The cultural evolution, which I had been a part of in New York, I could see also occurring in Miami, at least musically. In other words, I knew that Dancehall would soon have to be a staple of Urban Radio Playlists. This might have happened eventually in Miami BEFORE New York. While I knew and saw that a Hybrid combination of Hiphop and Dancehall was LONG overdue. The closest thing to this cultural evolution I have seen being ACKNOWLEDGED and MARKETED, is the development of Reggaeton, a hybrid of Hiphop and Dancehall, which was easily marketed as indigenous to the Hispanic community, through the vast network of Spanish speaking radio and television stations. This happened AFTER the dancehall mainstream explosion of the mid-2000s. Miami was the backdrop of many a Reggaeton video. The question is, if the Hispanic community was able to develop a Hybrid of Hiphop and Dancehall, would not the creators of both cultures…people of African descent have been able to do the same?

The new Damian Marley and Nas album “Distant Relatives” displays that cultural evolutionary consciousness which was exhibited by the marketing of Reggaeton. Distant Relatives is conscious, in the sense that, it was executed with a concerted effort to combine both art forms. While a great album indeed, it is lacking in impact, on an audience that has been exposed to both art forms and various hybrids thereof for 10 years on the mainstream level and internally within the community of African descent for much longer.

Listen to this audio clip of Brooklyn, New York Dancehall Soundsystem King Addies. King Addies was the first sound to play The Fugees on dubplate (specialized versions of songs tailored for specific sound systems) in 1996. At a time where The Fugees were beginning their ascent and King Addies was at their peak of popularity within the indigenous Brooklyn Dancehall community. King Addies is widely credited with being perhaps the Soundsystem to break open the permanent acceptance of Hiphop within Dancehall

This 1998 clip of King Addies at South Beach’s Club Amnesia’s party ‘Rockers Island” demonstrates EXACTLY how this process (cultural evolution) is facilitated or at Least accelerated THROUGH MUSIC. Listen to the shoutouts and pay close attention to the featuring of the “Showtime” riddim (beat). The SHOWTIME riddim, with its audio representation of the Brooklyn partygoer chant “Hey… Hey…. Hey”, has since found its way unto many Hiphop and Dancehall songs. You thought “No Games” by Serani was the first song with it? Side note: Tony Matterhorn was also at this dance playing with sound system Renaissance. It is well known, that Miami was the launching pad for Matterhorn’s solo career after he left King Addies.

The same year that I went to visit my cousin, I came to Florida again, Columbus Day weekend, as an intern with The How Can I B down music conference. How Can I Be Down was an annual music conference, which had been held in Miami since the early 1990s. While I was at the Radisson working at the How Can I B down conference, activities associated with The Miami Carnival, mainly a concert featuring which was the hottest Soca group at the time, Square One, was also taking place. It wasn’t lost to me that many of my cultural influences and business aspirations had collided. How Can I be Down and its predecessor Jack the Rapper, were known for beef Between Death Row and Luke and other wholesome family activities. By the late 1990s, South Beach became the stomping ground of many major label Hiphop stars and by 2001, would be home to the annual gathering of Hiphop heads every Memorial day weekend, now known as Urban Beach Weekend.

During the process of starting my label, my economic and business awareness has grown, and I have come to view Miami not only as a cultural hub and destination but in practice, a microcosm of the purchasing power of The Hiphop generation of African descent and their ability and lack thereof to effect change, on their behalf. Urban Beach Weekend, which since 2001 has attracted upwards of 350,000 people to South Beach, every Memorial Day, began as an informal gathering and was NOT welcomed by the businesses and residents of South Beach. However, due to the WILL of the people, Urban Beach Weekend is TOLERATED, mainly due to the business that it brings, similar to Hiphop itself.

But participants of Urban Beach Weekend have been exploited and discriminated against. Check out this article by Uncle Luke talking about how during Urban Beach Weekend and how, the businesses at South Beach routinely elevate their prices, a process known as price gouging. And of course, as the number of participants has grown so has the number of incidents of Police Brutality and misconduct.

But this is a situation, which Hiphop participants are used to. Not only because they are residents of inner-city communities, but also because Hiphop has in effect been under surveillance by law enforcement in a process mirroring that of the Cointelpro program of the 1960s, for a minute. It is a well-known fact that there are Hiphop cops and that in Miami specifically, it was found out that dossiers had been kept on Hiphop artists frequenting Miami, since the early 2000s

While the popularity of these events in Miami has grown ( and everywhere else for that matter), the demographic that has demonstrated this consumer potential has had a myriad of organizations, the most popular being The Hiphop Summit Action Network headed by Russell Simmons, targeting them for political marketing, to at the very least, get them to vote. The effect of this political marketing is still being debated and analyzed. Many credits the Hiphop generation with electing Obama, while others say that this is not the case and even if it was, the communities that Hiphop originates from people of African descent, have yet to receive any tangible benefit for doing so. While Miami is not the only place, many of the issues which would be of significance to this political demographic, such as economics, Immigration Reform and Police Brutality, and given their strong presence in Miami, Haitian relief aid are present. Can this demographic leverage their money and votes to be part of the national debate during the next presidential election?

“In this White man’s world…we’re the ones chosen……”

Kanye West appeared on the 2010 BET Awards and had on a big chain with the Egyptian deity HORUS and Pyramid rings. Immediately, the conspiracy theorists have created a video declaring his imagery as satanic. This decoding of Hiphop practices and discerning their occult origins has become popular, with many videos surfacing on Youtube addressing the issue, with most concentrating on Jay-Z. The new album by Miami MC Rick Ross features a song entitled "Freemason" featuring Jay-Z in Which Jay-Z addresses the rumors of his affiliation to Masonry. While Jay-Z denounces Masonry as a devil-worshipping medium, Ross on the other hand with lines like “Built Pyramids, Period we’re masters”, spits lyrics in line with those who claim Masonry is in line with spiritual traditions such as that of Ancient Egypt.

In any spiritual tradition, a person is said to be initiated within such tradition, by going through rituals and trials, of which MCs such as 50 Cent and Kanye West have gone through many. While observing these artists, it has become apparent that Hiphop itself seems to be a vehicle for some to express their skills within the medium known as Hiphop, while simultaneously developing themselves while doing so. Is this why there is a sudden examination of Hiphop in comparison to Masonry, Christianity, devil worships, and the like, to figure out the greater purpose of the Hiphop beyond Money, Hoes, and clothes, (while not necessarily giving them up). Hey…

Rick Ross has also gone through his share of trials, so to speak. From his beef with 50 Cent, to the scrutiny of his musical image due to his being a former corrections officer. With his new album, he seems to be reaching for a higher vision for Hiphop as in addition to his track with Jay-Z, he also has songs sampling The Black Panthers and speaking on street legends Larry Hoover and Big Meech. Ross also has a song entitled M.C. Hammer, who is the poster child of gaining income through Hiphop and losing it. It’s commendable that Ross’ is attempting to reconcile these divergent elements within Hiphop, no easy task as people have DIED trying to do so. But how seriously can he be taken when one takes into account the contradiction of calling oneself “the Teflon Don” while being a former Corrections officer. Miami is also home to a burgeoning underground Hiphop and Conscious community and home to the Organic Hiphop conference, can they take advantage of this increased spotlight Lebron will bring to Miami, to place political issues and non-mainstream styles at the forefront,

In 1964, Miami, Florida was the location of the famed, Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Liston heavyweight fight. There, Malcolm X provided Cassius Clay with a vision and spiritual discipline with which to harness his considerable raw talent. Clay transformed into Muhammad Ali. Could we see a similar transformation occurring with Lebron James? Will the move to Miami have the same effect on Lebron, as did Malcolm X on Muhammad Ali? By Lebron putting a huge spotlight on Miami AND his affiliation to Hiphop culture, Miami could be the location for a transformation of Hiphop itself, consequently accelerating the synergy and elevation of the cultural, political, and economic elements of Hiphop, toward freedom, justice, and equality for people of African Descent.

T

The Wrath of Kane

A few weeks ago, I went to see Big Daddy Kane at Prospect Park. Needless to say, the experience brought to mind many thoughts about Hiphop......and Brooklyn......past, present, and future. The show itself was cool. Kane performed with a live band and I guess he was trying to put on a show, so to speak. But the experience paled in comparison to seeing him perform last year at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, with just two turntables and a mic. It probably had something to do with the differing crowds. In Harlem, in attendance was the hood, who got a chance to relive their Hiphop heyday. In Prospect Park, it was a mix of people who were there during Kane's peak, white boys who wished they were, and out of towners who were just happy to be there......at Prospect Park.....way in the bac. Regardless, when you see Kane and hear those classics, you can't help but remember Kane at his pinnacle. For those who don't know, Big Daddy Kane is the blueprint for Brooklyn MCs, such as, The Notorious B.I.G and Jay-Z. 

His combination of, topical versatility (conscious lyrics, battle rhymes), overall lyricism, hit songs, and ability to appeal to the ladies and dudes, all especially evident on his 1989 classic album, "It's Big Daddy Thing", were at the time unmatched. Not to mention, he could cut a rug with his two dancers, Scoob and Scrap. The only thing Kane couldn't do was Hiphop/Reggae, but hey, at least he tried, and that was 1989. With his early 70s musical backdrops, Kane culturally would channel the ghetto of Blacc New York, and his persona gave him the aura of a Blaxploitation character, a cross between Shaft and Blacc Ceasar.

Kane was an organic MC, meaning he came up from and was created by the streets of Brooklyn and Hiphop culture. This is important because, within Hiphop at that time, there was some sort of quality control. Only the nicest would get that street cosign and consequently acceptance, into the Hiphop fraternity. This is the same process that birthed the great Brooklyn MCs that followed Kane. Kane brought Jay-z out on tour with him in 1990 and Kane's DJ Mister Cee, discovered The Notorious B.I.G. Big Daddy's dominance is the reason why any MC considered to be the best in Brooklyn is almost automatically proclaimed as the Best MC in New York by default.

But 20 years later, there seems to have been a stalling in the pipeline of the next GREAT Brooklyn MC. After The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, I would be hard-pressed to find that next dominant figure. Jay-Z is still active of course, and the impression is that there have not been any MCs who have been able to reach his level, because, he is simply, the best rapper alive. The best MCs would reflect and personify the consciousness of the people. So does a Billionaire Jay-Z reflect the consciousness of the people of Brooklyn, "D.O.A" notwithstanding? I guess that would depend on WHO are the people? And What is their SELF-consciousness?

Since the days of Kane, one of the byproducts of Hiphop's popularity has been the separation, for marketing reasons, of the socially conscious MC, from the MC who represents and reflects the aesthetics of the Street....That's why Brooklyn MCs such as Fabolous and Papoose would be placed in a different category than say Mos Def and Talib Kweli.... But daily experience in Brooklyn as a member of the Hiphop generation would ultimately cause you to become aware of the fact that the street and social consciousness are linked. Now being able to represent both as an MC, that's one thing. To do so and also be able to craft the MANDATORY HITS necessary for those clubs and radio and ultimately, the crown? That's a different story. Many have tried......and failed.

The failure to crown a new King of Brooklyn has also resulted in the failure to crown a new clear-cut King of New York. The decrease in the price of Hiphop means of Production (e.g. Protools) and the Internet, has allowed many aspiring artists to be able to enter Hiphop as both creators and distributors, through the mixtape, street DVD and, now social networking sites and blogs. Some would say that this has created a clutter of mediocrity on the way to the throne. But it also has allowed a means for people to get heard, where one was not readily available, due to the consolidation of mainstream media and the politics of the music industry. Even so, access to the mainstream media has perpetuated the illusion that the late 90s and early 2000s Hiphop stars of New York are still on top, even though record sales have declined steadily since 2000.

Jim Jones, who emerged from the Dipset, parlayed his initial mass media exposure, utilizing the changing media landscape and music industry model, into concurrent independent record deals and eventually into a major label joint venture. Jimmy was in prime position for the New York crown, but Jimmy lacced the basic requirement needed to be the King and that is FEARSOME SKILLS. Consequently, we're left with the usual suspects, as far as King Of New York is concerned, Jay-Z and 50 Cent. Even on the so-called underground level, it seems to be the same cats being mentioned over and over, your Mos Def and Kweli's, or dead prez....Throw in some Early to mid 90s legends in the mix and a changing of the New York guard seems unlikely for the time being.

But there is a new breed of MCs who are fighting for their time among the elite of Hiphop and the next attackers are Slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouse consists of 4 MCs who banned together in an attempt to lyrically blast their way to the Hiphop promised land. Collectively, Slaughterhouse has had its share of experiences with major labels. Joe Budden with Def Jam, Royce Da 5"9 with Tommy Boy (He has also been affiliated with Eminem), Joell Ortiz with Aftermath, and Crooked I with Death Row. They don't exactly fit the description of "outsiders" to the industry and one can argue that their inability to make mainstream hits....which I consider to be a SKILL.....could be the reason why they haven't received their just due, after so many years in the Business. However, Slaughterhouse's album despite its reliance on hardcore lyricism does have songs that COULD play on the radio and do very well. So in effect, their album does give support to the group's unspoken opinion that it is music industry politics, which has prevented each member from reaching that elite status in the Hiphop pantheon.

Slaughterhouse's Internet business model (spearheaded by Joe Budden), combined with Independent distribution, Joe Budden's beef with the Method Man, on some, "your time has passed" shit, and their hardcore anti-ringtone Rap lyricism might end up having a revolutionary impact on Hiphop. The Slaughterhouse movement is a signal that the patience of the next generation of hardcore Hiphop lyricists, has grown thin and that they want their spot in the Hiphop limelight and the accolades and monetary benefits it affords, and they want it now, by any means necessary. At the very least, Slaughterhouse has proved that there is a viable alternative to the mainstream business model, so much so, that, Joe Budden, recently at some point, has been the leading vote-getter, in the Hottest MCs in the game poll, on MTV. Slaughterhouse as a collective, their individual stories and the timing of their movement has each member functioning along the lines of what I define to be a TRUE MC......What is that?.........maybe for my next blog......and it's not just some rappin ass nigga.

When placed alongside newcomer Drake, Slaughterhouse creates a striking dichotomy. 4 battle tested Hiphop MCs, with years of grinding in the business, compared to a rapper from Toronto, who seemingly came out of nowhere and whose claim to fame is having appeared on Degrassi High. Drake has had the red carpet rolled out for him in the Hiphop music industry, the likes I have never seen. No jail, No gunshots, not even a car accident. Just a passport.....first class, no stopover. Now Drake has some skills, but I remember watching Degrassi Junior High bac in the day and I couldn't imagine Big Daddy Kane being on it. I guess that's what comes with Hiphop becoming mainstream. But watch for an all-out attack for control of Hiphop, by who I call, the "Hiphop Fundamentalists".......The ones who in the spirit of Big Daddy Kane, and the era that created him, champion beats and rhymes BEFORE, music industry politics, and appearances on Entertainment Tonight. 2010......Hiphop Jihad.......a.k.a..... The Wrath of Kane.