hip-hop

The Manhood Series: About Eminem And My Own Slight Conflicts

by Jose 07.08.2010

“So, what you’re saying is that you don’t think it’s right that Benzino and the Source are calling Eminem Elvis?” “No, it’s like they’re using the pro-Black agenda superficially to garner the respect of the hip-hop community, and it’s gonna backfire because everyone knows it’s not true. It’s just personal BS from the Source ownership.” [...]

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Big Pun’s Wife and How Sexism Runs Rampant Through Your Vericose Vains

by Jose 08.05.2009

Indulge me. Watch this video and tell me what’s your first reaction. If your first reaction to this video was “Girl, get a job!”, whether you’re a woman or man of any color or stature, you’re enacting on sexist behavior. Yes, I got this from rapradar.com and also saw it on another website. While I [...]

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Who’s Gonna Cover Your Vibes, XXLs, and Sources?

by Jose 07.06.2009

Recently, Vibe Magazine closed its doors, at least in print form. For those who never ventured into black publication, Vibe Magazine was a Black-based magazine started by Quincy Jones last decade. The ostensible vision of the pub was to highlight Black culture, but with a bit of a White lens. It mainly featured R&B and [...]

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A Letter To The Black Star, Mos Def and Talib Kweli

by Jose 05.31.2009

Dear Mos Def and Talib Kweli, (or whoever decides to read / respond / reflect) Your concert piece last night reminded me why I’m such a big fan of yours. A myriad of followers from all over the Tri-State area, of all different backgrounds, ages, and cultures came through to show these two Brooklyn men [...]

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The JLV’s Top 5 Greatest vs. Top 5 Favorite MCs of All Time

by Jose 01.22.2009

On Facebook, I came across a slight problem that most hip-hop heads come across whenever a major hip-hop event happens (i.e. the release of Notorious, the movie): how do we qualify our short-list of greatest MCs and favorite MCs? I put up my thoughts to the masses and got a good 30+ responses, ranging from [...]

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It Was All A Dream (What If …?)

by Jose 03.10.2008

My hip-hop heads know that, over the last weekend, many of us commemorated Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace’s (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.) anniversary of his murder 11 years ago on March 9th, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately, the murderer still roams free (or so we presume), and while the lawsuits are still ongoing, many in [...]

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Step Into a World

by Jose 12.03.2007

In a recent conversation about rap over at Bionic Teaching, I highlighted the essence of how teachers should approach rap and hip-hop in general: I think if you’re going to do it in the classroom, do it from the gut i.e. have a true and honest discussion. After all, that’s what rappers do when they [...]

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Follow the Leader

by Jose 04.12.2007

I wrote this a few weeks ago in another site in response to someone’s inquiry as to why I believe Rakim’s the greatest rapper of all time. It bothers me a little that he doesn’t have an official website, and the last time someone tried to pay homage to him through a site, it was [...]

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