NEW MIXTAPES: BABY SHAM + 2 FROM DJ RHUDE

Flipmode Squad's BABY SHAM has dropped a new mixtape THE BEST OF BABY SHAM hosted by DJ SYLENT. Download HERE




XXL MAG's DJ RHUDE dropped Volume 8 and 9 of his BLOCK MUZIK series. You can download them here:

DJ Rhude - Block Muzik Vol. 8 hosted by David Banner
DJ Rhude - Block Muzik Vol. 9 hosted by MC Lyte

VIDEO: KARDINAL OFFISHALL "GRAVEYARD SHIFT"

Props to HeRBan LyRiX for posting this great overview of KARDINAL OFFISHALL's career. Above is the new video "Graveyard Shift" featuring Akon from his upcoming project on Akon's label Konvict Music.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Although his actual birthday was last week on 1/15/08, we celebrate his legacy today. His work to overcome segregation, promote equality and unite all people still resonates in my heart. What would Dr. King say if he were alive to see the conditions that people of color still exist in? Some great, some worse. Its as if we have taken several steps back. What would he think of Hip Hop culture and the current music that represents it? Would there be less black on black crime? More respect for our women and elders? As a people, we have to struggle through corrupt governments, biased hiring practices, under representation and class based systems. Many of these ills will always remain but the way we relate to other can change. Dr. King pressed for the rights and freedoms of all people of color- Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, Arabs and poor immigrants who are taken advantage of. Many forget that Italian, Polish and Irish immigrants were heavily discriminated against upon their arrival in this country. It is sad that some people within these cultures in turn discriminate against others. Keep hope alive as Jesse Jackson says but also enact change, increase your world view and take the reigns from the unjust. We Love YOU Dr. King!

***Thank you to DAVEY D for posting MLK's I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH set to a Ghostface track. Download HERE

THE ZRO HOUR- ROOTS OF HIP HOP: ELECTRO

THE ZRO HOUR is back with a salute the the Electro pioneers who helped shape the sound of Hip Hop. Kraftwerk laid the foundation for AFRIKA BAMBAATAA & THE SOULSONIC FORCE's PLANET ROCK which became the backbeat to many early and current Hip Hop classics. The blips, beeps and synth textures were surrounded by driving, pulsating rhythms from drum machines such as Roland's TR-808, TR-909, TB-303, TR-727 and Oberheim's DMX. MANTRONIK, one of the genre's genius producers, broke out with some of the hardest beats ever to lace Hip Hop. His work with the group MANTRONIX and JUST-ICE remains the blueprint for 808 beats. Of course we can't forget ART OF NOISE and their B-Boy classic BEAT BOX. The 80's were among the most experimental period for Hip Hop and artists from other genres such as MALCOLM MCLAREN and HERBIE HANCOCK fed off of these sounds and became a part of the movement. We cannot forget PAUL HARDCASTLE and his classics RAINFOREST and 19. Today if you look at the work of some of our greatest producers (LIL JON, TIMBALAND, THE NEPTUNES, KANYE WEST, will.i.am to name a few) you can hear crazy amounts of synth work and electronic drums. It is widely known that Kanye's song STRONGER utilized samples and influences from another great Electro band DAFT PUNK. Dance music and Hip Hop are cousins. Everything comes full circle. Enjoy the show!


THE ZRO HOUR- ROOTS OF HIP HOP: ELECTRO (85MB)

PLAYLIST

TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS- Kraftwerk
NUMBERS- Kraftwek
PLANET ROCK- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK- Planet Patrol
LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
ONE FOR THE TREBLE- Davy DMX
ROCKIT- Herbie Hancock w/Grandmaster DST
BUFFALO GALS- Malcolm Mclaren & The World Famous Supreme Team
BEAT BOX- Art Of Noise
MOMENTS IN LOVE- Art Of Noise
RAINFOREST- Paul Hardcastle
19- Paul Hardcastle
M.A.R.R.S.- Pump Up The Volume
NEEDLE TO THE GROOVE- Mantronix
COLD GETTIN" DUMB- Mantronik feat. Just-ICE
DIN DAA DAA- George Kranz

Saving Hip Hop's First House

I found this great article and follow up to earlier posts (HERE & HERE) I did on the birthplace of Hip Hop, 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. As reported by Tanyanika Samuels, the residents of 1520 Sedgewck are attempting to purchase the building to ensure its proper place in history as well as continuing to keep their rent affordable. Kool Herc along with Coke La Rock had a press conference with Senator Chuck Schumer calling on the "Will Smiths and Queen Latifahs" of the industry to help with securing this purchase. The tenants have raised 11 million out of the 14 million dollars needed to make the purchase. There is a website set up for this cause- www.save1520.org. Kool Herc has a point. There should be some type of help coming from some of the biggest bread winners in Hip Hop music. If we don't preserve our own history, who will? Read the article HERE

VIDEO: PACIFIC DIVISION "F.A.T. BOYS 08"

One of my favorite new groups out of Cali, PACIFIC DIVISION, drops a great new video to their new joint "F.A.T. BOYS 08". ENJOY!