Rap mogul is named in gang injunction

City officials asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from being able to congregate in a neighborhood of Compton — and asked that the order include Marion "Suge" Knight.

The co-founder of Death Row Records was one of 200 people the officials said were members of Mob Piru. The injunction would ban them from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m.

Knight called the injunction a "publicity stunt."

"This is crazy," Knight told the Los Angeles Times in Thursday's editions. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore."

A hearing on the matter was to be held Thursday.

Although such injunctions are a common anti-gang tactic in southern California, this is the first time one has been sought in Compton, a city less than 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles that announced a gang crackdown two years ago.

Mob Piru members have gained notoriety for their alleged links to Knight and Death Row, once home to artists such as Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Hell Razah

Hell Razah aka Heaven Razah has risen from the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, NY.

This cat has paid his dues and in my eyes epitomizes the game of hip hop. His lyrics are very intelligent and on point. It's been a long time since I heard a banger that ain't talking big cars, big guns and big asses. This reminds me of what we got into the game for in the first place. I hope the Hip Hop Police is listening to this shit. I would give Renaissance Child amongst the hottest joint of the year 2007. Back in the day Razah did his thing with Sunz of Man, Wu Tang Clan disciples, with production under my man Supreme. What up Preme? Later Black Market Militia. Anyhow back to the beats!!! This thing is bangin, the intro is hot!!! buried Alive, the first track gets you open and makes you want more. Millenium Warfare is just plain crazy. Project Jazz tells a real story of Brooklyn almost in a Daddy Kayne style. Yo check out Chain Gang and tell me who aint on it? The production is real tight and a very refreshing relief from what hip hop has evolved into. Dirty Needlez and Bronze Nazareth did they thing. All in all this joint's what's up. If you gonna buy sommen you gotta get this.


One!!!!

State Of Nyc Hip-Hop

When The East Is In The House. - State Of Nyc Hip-Hop Submitted By: Rasheedah Andrews
When the east is in the house OMG (DANGA!) - Blazay Blazay
That was the mid-90s, fast-forward to 2006 and ask yourself - Is the East in the house? Short answer, yes. It’s
been “in the house” for quite sometime, very sheltered and remaining awfully quiet. I’m patiently waiting for the
east to come back outside to play; honestly I’m getting bored. By nature, hip-hop has always been territorial.
There is a sense of pride knowing your region is on top and the genre’s stars are people from your own community.
In listening to Tru Life’s “New New York” I understand where this rap artist is coming from. To hear New York
artists spitting about “trapping” or “getting crunk in the club” or “going dumb” makes me feel awkward. I would
welcome this lingo with open arms had it came from artists in the areas the jargon originated. Observing this
tells me upcoming artists in New York City have major identity issues and are simply looking to mimic whatever is
“hot” at the moment.
As a recording artist, industry professional and most importantly as a fan, I attend hip-hop showcases in New York
City rather frequently. New York City is the Mecca of hip-hop, an emcees breeding ground. The city is flooded with
aspiring hip-hop stars, I’m willing to bet New York City has the highest number of rappers per capita in the
world. Do these artists have talent? Many of them do – but does talent always translate to commercial success, NO.
This is what many artists fail to understand, once you start looking for external sources to finance your career,
you are an investment. Of course you’d like to feel like more since after all, the lyrics are your personal
memoirs (accurate or fabricated) and the music is something you’ve poured your time, life and money into. Despite
the previous statements, one thing that you should never lose sight of is the following: the music business is
just that, a business. Grey areas are to be expected since the ultimate product stems from creativity but where
there is a company, there is a bottom line – period.
If you walk into a bank looking to secure a loan for your business, you will have to demonstrate to that financial
institution that you have the ability to pay back, plus interest. You’ll have to supply supporting documentation,
income projections – you have to have a plan. They don’t want to sample your product (or in this case, evaluate
your demo). They want tangible evidence – previous sales, spins, shows, web traffic, celebrity endorsements etc.
Unlike a bank loan, where they will hunt you down, destroy you and take everything short of the clothes off your
back if cannot repay – with a record label’s investment, if things don’t pan out…you walk with almost no
consequence (aside from difficulty securing future deals or possible shame). Taking this into consideration, they
should reserve the right to be selective and invest in those acts most likely to meet certain sales criteria.
Simply stated, right now – New York doesn’t appear to be that. Being well versed on both the business and creative
sides of the spectrum, there are many artists I enjoy listening to personally but had I been an A&R, I still
wouldn’t sign them. Why? Because I’d like to keep my job and part of my job is to scout talent that will
inevitably bring money to the company I work for.
Where do New York artists fit into the scheme of all this? How do the previous statements about business and
investments relate to the changes currently taking place in the hip-hop landscape? Easy. New York City artists
have to prove that they aren’t poor investments. You must also bear in mind that many of your predecessors as of
late have failed to meet the target. These facts damage your reputation to potential investors, it’s like a bad
credit score. You can argue to the cows come home about “real hip-hop,” more than likely you are not going to
change popular opinion. Attending showcases lately in NYC, it’s like…if you’ve seen one – you’ve seen them all. In
terms of fashion, every artist looks the same. With regard to content (or lack thereof), every artist is
addressing the same issues. The repetitiveness in subject matter has reached new lows. Some artists become
remarkably frustrated at the prospect of not having a deal after years of hard work. This anger eventually finds
it’s way into their music and as a potential fan; I don’t want to hear about it. I’ve attended shows where rappers
felt obligated to express their displeasure with the likes of Chingy and D4L during their performances – it’s
ridiculous. I can take this opportunity to start plugging my music as a New Yorker and discuss in great detail how
I can revolutionize the game, but I’ll summarize now. New York City is known as the birthplace of rap music. New
York rappers are famed for being lyrically proficient, fly by default and envied by rappers of all regions. We
have that Big Apple swagger. We don’t follow trends, we just set them. Please don’t ever forget that. So in
conclusion, don’t obsess over the current success of other regions. Rather, make a point to create material worthy
of carrying the Empire State’s torch. Understand what investors are looking for and what fans want - incorporate
your personal style (after all, no one wants a clone of an artist who already exists). With this newfound outlook
and your talent, hopefully we can see the genre returned its owners. Peace!!!

About the Author:
R.S. Andrews, BBA MSA - President/CEO of Sheer Badness Entertainment, professional songwriter, performer and hip-
hop/rap recording artist p/k/a SHEE. More info: http://www.sheemusic.com/, info@sheerbadness.com or call (908) 245
-6467

Yayo's lawyer: Convict admits teen slap

NEW YORK (AP) - A lawyer for G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo, who is accused of slapping a 14-year-old boy on a Manhattan street, wants the charges dropped after prosecutors revealed Thursday that another man has confessed.


Yayo, 29, whose real name is Marvin Bernard, has pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. The boy is the son of Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, who co-founded Czar Entertainment and manages Yayo's rival rapper The Game.

A Yayo acquaintance, Lowell Fletcher, told police during an unrelated jailhouse interview that he had slapped the youth in March and Yayo pulled him away, said the rapper's attorney, Scott Leemon.

"They disclosed it today, and we plan to file a motion for dismissal," Leemon said of Assistant District Attorney Daryl Reed who told the court his office learned about Fletcher's statement last week.

According to the statement, "Fletcher saw a young boy wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt. Fletcher further stated that he slapped the boy across the face and began to grab the boy's shirt. At this point Marvin Bernard (Yayo) exited the vehicle, tried to restrain him (Fletcher) and get him back in the vehicle."

"Although the statement is harmful to my client," Fletcher's lawyer, Robert Macedonio said, "it seems that Tony Yayo really didn't do anything but pull him (Fletcher) off this kid."

The lawyer said the statement taken in August was "in violation of his constitutional rights" because police were not supposed to question him without his lawyer being present.

Macedonio said his client is serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for drug possession.

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Neil E. Ross set a tentative trial date for March 31 but told both sides to file motions regarding the statement before then. AP

The Importance Of The Hip Hop Mixtape

There isn’t a hip hop fan in the world that doesn’t own some sort of a hip hop mixtape. Whether it’s homemade or professional, whether it’s got underground hip hop, gangsta rap, abstract hip hop or old school, there’s got to be at least one somewhere in there (if not dozens) and its presence alone confirms the existence of a tendency that has spanned over four decades and that doesn’t seem to decrease in popularity at all. On the contrary: as the number of tech feats increase, the means of perpetuating this activity also grow.

In any case, ever since the eighties, it became a common practice for an emerging underground hip hop artist or group to use a hip hop mixtape in order to gain appreciation from record companies or simply popularity among potential fans. In this case, the hip hop mixtape in itself would vary slightly from the original mixtape concept, as it could contain tracks from the same artists (even if they’re a mix of some sort), so it became difficult to draw the line between this and an actual album. A way of drawing that line would probably be generated by the necessary production costs, as the tracks on an underground hip hop mixtape would probably be demo versions, without the usual mixing and mastering that come with the normal production of an album. However, just like albums, they would have a large number of collaborations (something common for hip hop in general, for that matter) as well as freestyles and interludes.

Such a mixtape would wither be send to a record company or given away for free at a concert, although they can also be sold, in a less expensive case than the one albums usually come in. Recently, however, the practice of releasing them in mp3 format over the Internet has also become extremely widespread. If they must be sold, this usually goes on in the street or through mail order. Artists often rely on friends and fans to spread the word about the mixtape, as advertising costs are generally as low as production costs, also as compared to a normal retail album. Sometimes, an underground hip hop group may release a mixtape in order to become more widely known, while an artist with an existing deal may do the same thing with a different purpose, namely that of promoting fresh material.

The importance of this practice is so high that it’s been the subject of a documentary, as well as included in several others with a subject somehow related to underground hip hop. Although it’s essential for the industry on the overall, large record companies regard it as bootleg or pirated material.



Author: Ken Wilson

Hip Hop Begining

Beginning of hip hop

There's been much controversy around the actual beginning of hip hop and rap. Being able to tell where it all began is quite tricky business. Phrases like "It all started with Dr. Dre" or "It all began with 2Pac" are extremely common. Although the contribution of these colossal artists to hip hop and rap is definitely indubitable, the answer goes to a point further back in time.
A brief incursion into a series of pertinent material on underground hip hop will soon prove that such affirmations, although somewhat excusable, can only refer to two things: either something not meant to describe the actual beginning of the genre, but a simple remark of utter enthusiasm and respect towards the artist, or simply a line coming from someone who is far from being experienced. A slightly wiser fan of underground hip hop (although not necessarily - perhaps of hip hop in general) may claim that the first hip hop tune ever recorded was "Rappers Delight" by Sugarhill Gang.

This, although not completely precise (but then again, when can one be completely precise?), would be far closer to the truth. It goes as follows. Although this too is arguable, it's generally believed that the substance of hip hop music is contained in the verses, while the beat is but a secondary element. Implicitly, in the beginning, artists used to deliver rhymes while the DJ played records in order to provide the suitable background. This, of course, evolved - in time, turntables appeared, as the art of producing distinct sounds instead of simply reproducing, and this tendency gave birth to whole generations of extremely skilled hip hop DJs. It soon became common for a group within underground hip hop and beyond to have several rhyming members and generally one, but sometimes two DJs who specialized in turntables. That, however, is another story.

Getting back to the root of the issue - the nature of the records initially played as background have had a huge influence on the development of underground hip hop as well as on the more commercial side of the genre. Well established, pre-existing genres such as reggae, dancehall, soul and many others brought their contribution. The most prominent precursor of hip hop and rap is, however, funk music. This is the reason why the second affirmation was almost correct: the song in question is a revolutionary fusion between the funk of the time and what we all know nowadays as hip hop and rap, together with the work of other contemporary artists. Although the scale leaned towards rapping more and more over the years, funk influences are still present as late as 90's artists such as Dr. Dre and even later than that.

Author: Ken Wilson

Come to our website and listen to all the hip hop and rap music you want. If you are an artist trying to make a breakthrough, feel free to post some of your music and let others know what underground hip hop truly means!

Hip-Hop News

Welcome to Hip-News. I will be posting here very shortly. One.