KMEL ONLINE / HIP HOP NEWS TODAY

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Just when you thought we heard enough of rappers getting in trouble.. Here comes Jay-Z.. According to early news reports the Grammy-winner was arrested for illegal gun possession near a Manhattan nightclub early Friday-about 3:30am . This is hard to believe in the wake of Puffy oops I mean P-Diddy getting acquitted and Eminem getting sentenced to two years probation. Jay Z as we all know is still scheduled to go on trial based upon a stabbing incident that went down last January. It had appeared that Jay-Z was laying low and trying to stay out of the limelight..Unfortunately, Jigga has come under fire from some of his fellow rappers including Jayo Felony who accuse him of politicking and trying to shut down the release of a record that disses him..Others like Mobb Deep and even the late 2Pac have records out taking shots. It has resulted in Jay Z returning to the studio to do another album. He completed 9 songs in two days.

In this latest incident... New York City police state that Mr Shawn Carter, was arrested with three other men shortly after 3 a.m. when a loaded handgun was found in their car. Apparently undercover officers saw a man with gun get inside a ride which contained 3 other passengers including Jay-Z . All Three were charged with third degree possession of a weapon. This is not a cool thing to happen for Jay-Z and Hip Hop in general. My question is what was going on that Jigga's folks had guns? Why were there undercover officers observing them?
In other news Daz Dillinger stopped by the radio station yesterday and was speaking on a recent album deal he just signed with Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. He seemed pretty excited about that as well as the upcoming independent release of a Dogg Pound [DPG] album with his partner Kurupt. In fact Daz took time out and recorded a slamming customized song for our morning show crew Tha Baka Boyz. It took him less then an hour to lay the beat and vocals. The man got talent and has stepped up his rhyming skillz in a major way. Daz also noted that Kurupt is hard at work filming a movie in which he stars alongside actor Kurt Russell called Plague Season. We'll keep you posted on the release date.

Yesterday Mr Marshall Mathers aka Eminem aka Slim Shady got a bit of good news when a Michigan judged sentenced him to two years probation. Prosecutors were fighting hard to make sure Em spent a little time behind bars for weapons possession charges, but fortunately for him..'it ain't going down like dat'.. At the time of his sentencing Eminem noted "I'm glad the judge and the courts treated me fair and as a human being... I just want to get it behind me and get back to spending time with my little girl and making music." The hard part for Eminem will be for him to stick to the conditions outlined by his probation. He cannot leave the country without permission. He can't be involved in combative situations. He can not use drug or drink excessively. he can't possesse weapons or firearms. Far too often cats get caught slipping and wind up behind bars on a probation violation. One key example is Suge Knight who should be getting out real soon. Another key example is Tommy Lee of Motley Crew.. The reason why I say it may be difficult for Eminem to stick to the probation is because he will inevitably be tested. Someone is going to try and step to him and cause drama. Also the whole situation regarding him and alcohol and drug usage is murky at times. What if he's around someone who smokes weed? Will he risk taking a puff? What if some one tries to slip him something? Individuals who have it in for Em may try to set him up. Lets hope homeboy sticks to the music and raising his daughter. He was definitely granted a second chance. especially when you take into account Michigan has mandatory sentencing when it comes to gun possession. One thing is for sure Eminem is likely to create some dope music since he will have no choice but to channel all his pent up energy into his writing and raps..

Folks are buzzing about Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia, Mystic and Zion I and their upcoming Hip Hop for Consciousness Concert which is going down May 12th at the Watts Labor Community Action Center in Los Angeles. The concert is designed to be a benefit to raise money for the defense of Jamil Abdullah Al Amin who is best known to many as former Black Panther and SNCC leader H.Rap Brown. For those who are unfamiliar, Al Amin was arrested last March and accused of shooting an Atlanta policeman. The circumstances surrounding this incident are murky and inconsistent. Al-Amin was fingered by the slain officer's wounded partner, but to many it appears to be a set up of the worst kind. Some are speculating that Al Amin was wrongly targeted because of his on going community activism in Atlanta's West End where he led a Muslim Mosque and was also praised for helping rid the neighborhood of drug dealers and prostitutes. Others are looking at Al-Amin's activism in the 60s and 70s when he was known as H Rap Brown and concluding that this latest incident is simply payback for the times when Al-Amin struck fear within authorities.

In either case Al Amin has long been someone who authorities have feared and targeted. Back in the 1960s and early 70s Al-Amin, was an activist and former Minister of Defense for the Black Panther Party. He was also the chair for SNCC [Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee] which later changed their name to the Student National Coordinating Committee as they became more militant. During this time H. Rap Brown was known to authorities because of his ability to incite crowds and get them riled up. For example, in 1967 H. Rap was charged with inciting a riot in Cambridge MD when he told 400 Blacks during a rally "It's time for Cambridge to explode, baby. Black folks built America, and if America don't come around, we're going to burn America down.'' Afterwards shots were exchanged between Blacks and whites resulting in H. Rap being grazed in the forehead by a bullet and one white police officer being shot in the neck. Fortunately no one was killed. The next morning two city blocks and a school buildings was burned. After that H. Rap became seriously feared by the mainstream establishment and admired by many who felt taking a militant stance was the best way to help bring about change for Black America. If memory serves me correctly, at one point in time he was forbidden to speak at public gatherings as a condition of his parole.

H. Rap moved to Atlanta's West End in 1976 after spending five years in prison for his role in a robbery that ended in a shoot out with New York police. During his prison stay he converted to Islam and changed his name to Jamil Abdullah Al Amin. He no longer took a militant position, but instead went on to be a Muslim spiritual leader of a community mosque and operated a small grocery store. He became a fixture in the neighborhood where he was admired and praised by most of his neighbors. For almost 20 years Al- Amin/ H Rap Brown existed peacefully and without incident. However his name surfaced in 1995, when Al Amin was accused of aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing an unlicensed pistol after a man claimed he was shot by him. That man later recanted the story and admitted that he was pressured by authorities to identify Al Amin as the shooter. Afterwards, people began to speculate that Al Amin was falsely accused because he had pretty much run most of the drug dealers out of the neighborhood and there were corrupt officers who had a stake in them being there. It wasn't long before authorities tried to connect some of the homicides in that area to Amin..Again, nothing ever stuck and it was seen by many as more unfair profiling and targeting. The unfortunate incident in which the officer along with the evidence found and not found is seen as a continuation of this pattern of false accusation. Hence a trial is to take place in the fall and we will all see how it unfolds.

In the meantime it is only fitting that the Hip Hop community has come out in force to aid Al-Amin. While he is best known for all the work he put in for the Civil Rights struggle, for many H Rap Brown had a profound yet unintended connection to Hip Hop. In his autobiography 'Die Nigger Die' H Rap talked about his life and the things he did as a kid growing up. Among the things he spends a considerable time talking about, was the verbal rhyme games he played as a kid. H Rap got his name because he had a gift for gab. In his book he showed that he was a master rhymer, 30 years before Hip Hop made its way to the Bronx. He participated in all sorts of verbal games ranging from Signifying to The Dozens.

As quiet as kept, many of the early rhymes used by Hip Hoppers like Sugar Hill Gang's 'Hemp The Demp the women's pimp... women fight for my delight' verse can be found in H Rap's book. In his book he talks about the huge circles people would form when rhyming against each other. Sometimes there would be as many as 30-40 people verbally sparring each other in a rhyme game known as The Dozens. For those who don't know, The Dozens was a rhyme game in which you rhymed about your opponent's mother. In short, H. Rap was participating in what we today call ciphers long before we even had a word to attach to that activity. Although never intended, long before modern day Hip Hop hit the scene cats like H Rap Brown was putting down some serious rhymes. It's a shame to see a brother who gave so much to the struggle in this current predicament. Lets hope the truth comes out in his trial.. A PHAT Award goes out to all the artists who are stepping to the plate to raise funds for his defense.

Hip Hop is looking mighty good these days as seemingly everyone is stepping to the plate and trying to take things to another level. First off, we have the Teacha-Blastmasta KRS-One.. His album Sneak Attack appears to be the right ingredient for a long awaited return to the scene. Funky beats, skillful rhymes and the ability to stay current without coming across like he's trying to hard is what keeps KRS at the top of his game. One of the interesting and clever things KRS did was he sent out previews of the album and in between every couple of songs he talks about his philosophy on Hip Hop music and culture, rap journalists, gansta rap, thuggism, and life in general. He also explains the deeper meanings behind some of his songs. He also explained that some of gangsta and thuggish stuff hear on other people's albums are valid sentiments within Hip Hop. The problem Hip Hop suffers from is inbalance. He suggested that people listen to gangsta rap alongside the words of a philosopher. It made for an interesting listen and left you feeling a lot more appreciative of KRS' works.

So impressive was KRS's inner thoughts that I played the entire album from start to finish the other day on my talk show.. Listeners absolutely enjoyed it.. I'm not sure if KRS will include his commentary on the commercially released version of the album. Oftentimes people simply wanna hear the music and nothing else, but if you're in the industry try and hit up the record company for a copy with his comments.. Some of his remarks make for compelling discussion..especially when he talks about the role of journalist and magazines trying to rate the works of artists.. Stand out tracks include 'Ghetto Lifestyles', 'Hush', 'Get Yourself Up' and 'Hot'. The other good part about KRS' Sneak Attack is he doesn't have a whole lot of guests busting rhymes. KRS is strong enough to carry an album on his own...

KRS often calls himself the philosopher he may have to relinquish that title to a philosopher who carries a degree and holds tenure at Harvard University. Dr Cornel West just released his long awaited album called 'Sketches of My Culture'. I ran into Cornel over the weekend as he returned to familiar stomping grounds here in the Bay Area [Cornel's born and raised in neighboring Sacramento]. He not only came to perform up also to unveil his works at the Kings and Queens of Black Consciousness Benefit which featured a host of historical figures from the Black Cultural Arts Movement of the '60s. Among the participants were Amira and Amina Baraka, Ishmeal Reed , Askia M. Toure' and Marvin X to name a few. It was an incredible show and after watching these community elders spit rhymes, beat box and dance you come away clearly understanding that Hip Hop has always been here-just under a different name..But lets not digress.

Cornel West featured his album at this event and while I'll be the first to admit that he isn't a wordsmith like KRS, his subject matter and approach to doing a Hip Hop album is not bad. Cornel uses jazzy beats to make up the musical backdrop of his album. He spits his lyrics more like a spoken word artist as opposed to a fiery emcee, but Cornel tackles some major issues head on. He kicks off Sketches of My Culture with a song called 'Journey' which talks about all the different musical genres that have emerged within the African American community which has lead to the birth of rap. He does a heartfelt song called '3Ms' which talks about Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Cornel hits hard with a song called 'Frontline' where he breaks down what it means to be hard. Here he passionately suggests to listeners that we focus our anger and angst on attacking societal ills like racism and the prison industrial complex as opposed to each other. Its a thought provoking song.

Another dope song is the 'N-Word' which deals with the pervasive use of the N word. Cornel cleverly sets up the song as a radio call in show where listeners are treated to hearing all the various forms in which the word is used within Hip Hop and the larger African community.

E-40 is stepping up his game in a major way. Him and Oakland rap pioneer Too Short are hard at work in the studio completing their collaborative album called 'The History Channel'. I was able to hang out with them the other night and here a few songs.. From what I heard, it looks like these guys are about to drop some serious bombs to make our heads spin. The songs were dope. Big shout out to producer Bosko who laid down some of the tracks. E-40 explained that he had long admired Short and two coming together was inevitable. Talk about two cats having a lot of game..Look for the History Channel to come out sometime in the next couple of months.. E-40 also noted that he just completed a song with fellow Bay Area rapper Motion Man who is regarded as one of Hip Hop's nicest emcees. Folks may know Motion for his recent album he and Kool Keith did under the name Masters of Illusion. There current song is 'Bronx Bay Bridge' 40 noted that people will be surprised with the new song.. "I had to come out and do some ol' 'emcee stuff'", he said. By that he meant he had to come to the table and seriously flex his rhyme skills.. I can't wait for the song to drop..

Another artist set to blow up the spot is Oakland rapper Mystic. Her new lp 'Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom' is absolutely incredible. It reminds me of something you would here from Lauryn Hill. Mystic flexes nice socially conscious rhymes , but then can turn around and get busy as a singer. For folks who are unaware, Mystic first broke out on the scene as a back up singer for the Conscious Daughters. She later hooked up and became a permanent member of Digital Underground. Her solo project is the next step in her evolution and it may be the thing to allow her to bust out the shadows.. Standout cuts include 'Girlfriend Sistergirl', 'Fatherless Child', 'Ghetto Birds' and her current single which headz better not sleep on called 'The Life'.

The biggest story in all the new product being released is the latest 2Pac album called 'Until The End of Time' Its the first of two double lps scheduled to drop this year and I have to be honest when I say Pac has not missed a beat. The passion and intensity is still present. Apparently a number of 2Pac fans are in agreement because he sold enough albums this past week to catapult him to the number one position on the billboard charts. So whats in store when you listen to the new Pac album? All the things you would want and expect from him. He talks about his quest to elevate himself and the world around him. Songs like 'Lil Homies', 'Letter 2 My Unborn', 'Thugz Cry' and 'This Ain't Livin', bring that out.. Pac continues to be controversial as he has one song that disses Jay Z 'Fuck Friends' and another cut that disses Mobb Deep 'Running on E'. Pac also does a couple of politically laced songs including 'Everything They Owe' which deals with the issue of reparations. He also does a cut called Happy Home which was dedicated to his sister and her having to deal with a troubled homelife. Pac's album is nice and will definitely help raise the bar especially for west coast emcees.. One listen and you come away realizing just how far ahead of the curve and how talented 2Pac was..

Send comments, questions and concerns to
mailto:kingdave@sirius.com
The FNV Newsletter
written by Davey D
http://www.daveyd.com
http://www.rapstation.com
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