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Choosing Hip over Hype-WBLS Beats Hot 97 Again

June 23, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Choosing Hip over Hype
Listeners emerge from radio daze,
tuning out Hot 97 to pump up WBLSBy Errol Louis

orginal article-June 23, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/06-23-2006/news/col/story/ 429055p-361762c.html
 

Here’s some news that will be music to the ears of the many New Yorkers who have grown sick of the vulgarity, violence and stale, payola-driven programming that has poisoned much of urban radio and black culture in general.According to the latest Arbitron figures, tens of thousands of listeners appear to be tuning out Hot 97 – which used to be ranked the No.1 hip hop/R&B station in New York – in favor of WBLS, which beat out Hot 97 in each of the last two ratings periods.

WBLS has been on a tear for the past year, thanks to its decision to hire two powerhouse broadcasters: Steve Harvey, who hosts a morning drive time talk-and-music show, and Wendy Williams, who holds down a block from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Harvey and Williams are seasoned radio personalities who bring wit, intelligence and a positive message to a mostly black audience that is hungry for quality.

You don’t hear the b-word or N-word tossed around on WBLS; Harvey and Williams are too classy to insult their audience that way. And listeners have responded in droves.

According to Arbitron, WBLS had 3.1f the city’s teen and adult radio listeners last winter, but has increased its audience size over each of the last four ratings periods, building its share up to 3.9àDuring the same time, Hot 97 slipped steadily from 4.5f listeners to 3.7à

In plain English, WBLS now draws about 30,664 more listeners than Hot 97 during any given period between 6 a.m. and midnight. That can translate into millions of advertising dollars moving from the losing station to the winner.

The numbers are a victory for community groups that called for a boycott of Hot 97 following its repeated broadcast of a sickening song parody that mocked victims of the 2004 tsunami that devastated Asia. More negative press dogged the station thanks to three shootings in front of its office over the last few years by the entourages of rappers invited by – and sometimes incited by – station deejays.

The decline of “Shot 97” provides powerful evidence that positive, quality programming ultimately wins more listeners – and advertising dollars – than shallow shock radio.

Power 105.1, the third urban-format station, has been dropping in the rankings as well, losing to WBLS earlier this year and barely eking out a win most recently with 4f listeners. The station’s rankings may continue to fall, thanks to the recent, career-ending tirade of Power 105.1’s ex-morning host, Troi (Star) Torain, who got a pink slip and a criminal indictment after threatening, on-air, to sexually assault the 4-year-old child of a rival deejay at (where else?) Hot 97.

“The hip-hop stations are losing audience share all over the country. How much can you hear about Jay-Z?” says Paul Porter, a media critic who runs a Web site, IndustryEars.com. “Steve Harvey’s topical; he’ll point out things you won’t get on other shows. He’s going to be the biggest voice in black radio.”

Credit for the changing mood also goes to groups like the Boston-based Seymour Institute, a black think tank, that have been quietly waging an effort, church by church, to mobilize the black middle-class against the hedonistic and violent lyrics and imagery that have sprouted in hip-hop culture like weeds.

“There is a cultural marketing machine that pushes toxic entertainment upon black adults, adolescents and children each day,” says the Seymour group in a recent manifesto. “There is no need for the black community to be complicit in its own degradation.”

The same message is being echoed by local grass-roots groups, from www.abolishthenword.com to an organization from a Bronx church called the Council of Bad Language Disdainers.

Cultural politics aside, Harvey and Williams are succeeding because they do radio the way it should be: smooth and smart. Tune into 107.5 FM and listen for yourself.

 

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Everybody in Hiphop Hates Chris,-How Cristal Hustled Hip Hop

June 22, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
Everybody in Hiphop Hates Chris, but so what?!
How Cristal hustled Hiphop

By: Hadji Williams
original article-June 22, 2006
After spitting its virtues for ten summers, Jay-Z and his hiphop minions are now boycotting Cristal, a hiphop staple after Frederic Rouzaud, the brands managing director made what many are calling elitist and racist comments against the hiphop communitys economic support of Cristal in a recent interview in The Economist magazine. (www.targetmarketnews.com)

What can we do? We cant forbid people from buying it. Im sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business. Rouzaud said of hiphops pallets.

Well, as a 15 year marketing vet, Ive got a scoop for Marcys all-time great: Your boycotts too late, fam. In case you havent noticed, it works like this, folks: Hiphop, like the Blues, like most everything from the black community before gets mined for its cool cache. And this time, yall been strip-mined and pimped as corporate cheerleaders. And basically for free, no less.

Rouzaud never cut any brother a check for any of those mic checks. The nouveau rich and the not-so riche been chasing Cris and those uppity brands because Jig, Puff and every other bruh with some BDS and MTV said the bottle was hot. And it worked. Cristal is the 8th most popular brand in 2005 behind Mercedes, Nike, Bentley and Rolls Royce. Meanwhile most of the Hamptons, Hollywood and Wall Street are, as Mr. Rouzaud, put it curiously serene.

Fact is Rouzaud is shooting his mouth off now, because he knows Cristal doesnt need hiphops praises anymore. The Jigs up and theyve moved on. The whole black kid made good angle is played and upscale consumers arent feeling us anymore. You can only play dress-up for so long before the clock strikes. There’s a reason someone like David Beckham now carries more marketing muscle than any handful of ethnic celebs you can name. (Read KNOCK THE HUSTLE -I warned yall this was coming.)

Secondly, its called luxury for a reason, folks. Luxury always excludes. Luxury excludes by class, by price, and yes, by race. And I dont care how much money you got, IT stops being luxury once enough negroes cop it. Sorry, but its true.

But young heads are still sleeping: In the eyes of most marketers Hiphop (and black folks at large) are just disposable media outlets. Its all about reach, frequency and brand equity. Hov dont have the reach n frequency he used to; in fact, hiphop doesnt. (Hate if you want, you know Im right.)

Therefore most luxury brands are starting the slow steady exodus back to more exclusionary brand strategiespaler faces in their ads, more upscale and selective partnerships and cross-promotional opportunities. They want their swagger back.

See, I know this game. While my cats hustled on the streets, I got my grind on the suites too many brands to mention. Never Cristal, but I did help a certain, +A vodka get mad bullish few summers back. (Yep, that was me. See KNOCK THE HUSTLE.)

Anyway, once I got hooked up with some Euros who owned a hard cider brand called K. You know why they called me?

We know that in order to really push this in the states we need to get it in the black community. That’s what these Irish cats told us, point blank. Theyd never been to the US but they knew that much. They asked me for a list of hiphop stars, hot urban clubs, etc. Their plan was simple: Get slick brothers and sisters hyping it up knowing full-well everybody else would be on it in a couple years, if not sooner.

Unfortunately cats werent really feeling the hard cider so it never popped. But that’s how that part of the game works. We sit in rooms and politic and scheme. Sometimes checks get cut and next thing you know your favorite rap superhero is dipped in [INSERT BRAND HERE]. Rouzaud and his kind are no different. No matter what they say.

Now, Im not saying thats how/why Jay got with Cris. Im sure Hov was a Cris fan back when he was just hyping Jaz; just as Run was lacing up Adidas before their contract, and LL rocked Kangols while he was slicing up Kool Moe

Anyway, Mr. Rouzauds sentiments are an orchestrated shoutout to his base that hes putting the velvet ropes back around the Cristal. But hes not alone. While his my-clothes-arent-for-black-folks/Oprah-interview was a hoax, Tommy Hils announcement that the Hilfiger brand is moving out the urban arena and back to its upscale mainstream roots is quite legit. (Google the press releases for more info.)

You can’t slam a door on folks that are walking out on you. Most of the companies that have gotten cool and rich off of hiphop cosigning are cashing out and moving on. Some are looking to Hispanic consumers. Many are going for NASCAR Dads and Soccer mom sets. Others are chasing upscale anglo roots. Some are trying to revive the X-treme thing, etc. But make no mistake: The bachelor party’s over and hiphop just got ran thru by half the cats in the house. And now, theyre going home. So who cares if you dont want to put out anymore?

My advice to the hiphop community is this: Keep these companies names out of your mouth and dont ride for any INC until you know exactly who youre dealing with. Do your due diligence. Most of these folks have no regard for you, your community, your culture, or your art. Youre just a means to an end; and when push comes to shove, theyre mean and focused about getting their ends.

And to every crime nigga that rhyme: theyll touch your mic every time, cuz their minds are quicker. Much quicker.
——-

A 15-year vet of the marketing industry, Hadji Williams is author of KNOCK THE HUSTLE: How to save your job and your life from Corporate America. Email him: author@knockthehustle.com

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Too Many Groupies on the Radio

June 15, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
In lieu of our last article on Hip Hop Radio falling off in NY and LA Here’s a follow up article that was actually penned a while back from DJ Mark Skillz who’s an old school head who’s voice you can hear on various radio stations and TV commercials around the country including Breakdown FM… I thought this would give us some more food for thought… Holla back..
 
Too Many Groupies on the Radio
By Mark Skillz

original article-June 15, 2006
markskillzson-225Have you listened to hip hop radio lately? Or should I say what passes for hip hop radio. Like anything else in our culture the standards for urban radio have been lowered.

Instead of deejays on air being conversational they shout. The art of one to one conversation style radio is lost in hip hop. Maybe station managers think that blacks and Latinos dont want to be talked to intelligently. Or does keeping it real mean that you have to sound like you perceive your audience to be? For instance, take a station like KMEL, the on-air deejays recently, not only sound like theyre from the street but also like they are broadcasting live from a street corner.

Now, there is nothing wrong with being from the street, however, in our culture Im talking about African-American culture, historically, when a person is given the opportunity to communicate with our people, weve always strived to present a positive image. But for some reason, when people think of hip hop they automatically lower the standards of excellence.

Black people are not monolithic beings. We dont speak with one voice and one mind. Neither are all hip hoppers monolithic beings. We range in age and taste. Some of us prefer Mos Def and Talib Kweli, while others prefer Lil Flip. With preferences in tastes so vast youd think that the people who market music to us would realize that and would have more than one kind of on air personality talking to us.

When I was coming up, deejays like Frankie Crocker, Nick Harper, Greg Mack, Jeff Fox and many others sounded like intelligent people. They might not have been rocket scientists but never the less, these men sounded intelligent enough to communicate ideas to a mass audience without dumbing down to them. For some reason, people think that being a part of the hip hop culture or even black culture for that matter, means that you have to dumb things down to relate to people.

For instance, on the 70s sitcom Sanford and Son, whenever the Sanfords came in contact with the police it was always Officer Smitty (a brother) and some white cop, the white cop would speak in cop talk meaning he would say things like Hello Mr. Sanford we received a call about a domestic disturbance somewhere on these premises, and we came to ascertain the facts.

It is at that point that Fred and Lamont would look at each other bewildered, as if they couldnt understand what the white cop had said. They would then look at Officer Smitty for his interpretation Fred we got a call about a fight around here, do you know anything about it?

Like they were too dumb to understand what the white guy was saying, as if the words were too big for them to know. Now this kind of white-speak-black man-dont understand kinda thing exists today but on different levels.

What else do I mean by talking down? Well, when a grown man, is talking to teen-agers instead of raising the bar for what and whom they should strive to be like, he communicates with them on their level. Hearing thirty and forty year olds saying What’s crackalatin 20 times a day is embarrassing. Its the equivalent of that 50 year- old uncle, at the barbecue, trying to talk the latest slang and worse, trying to do the latest dance. Thats what’s happening on radio now.

One night I was listening to KMEL and I happened to turn it on in the middle of an interview, now this interview went on for like 10-15 minutes, and in all that time, never once did this guy say who he was, or who the artist was he was interviewing. However, what he did get across was that this artist had a fat platinum chain on and how much he wanted to have one as well. And also this guy enjoys hanging out with him poppin collars at the Beehive and checkin out breezies. Now what the hell does all that mean to a listener?

After 15 minutes of this crap when this artist was walking out the door I finally figured out he was talking to none other than Kanye West. Oh snap! I thought, damn I can think of a bunch of questions Id like to ask Kanye my damn self like; What was the Chi-town hip hop scene like when you were coming up? What influence did house music have on your style? The Nation of Islam is real strong out there, what influence did they have on you if any? The gang scene out there, how did you avoid that trap, when gang culture goes back 40 years plus out there? Did you start off rapping over house records? What Chi-town radio did you listen to, that influenced you to go the soulful hip hop route?

The art of the interview, the art of conversation, all of that is lost in current hip hop radio. Why is that? It’s because we’ve lost our culture to a bunch of groupies. Not just here in the Bay Area, but all over the country. Radio stations like record companies have people working there who are just happy to be down. They are content with the status quo, if you tell them that there is something wrong with hip hop radio, they look at you like your crazy. As far theyre concerned everything is all good and then some, because theyre going to concerts and theyre chilling backstage with their favorite rap stars.

gregmack-225Greg Mack, the pioneering LA dee-jay that was on KDAY back in the 80s and 90s, the man that any-artist-that-wanted-his-record broken in LA had to see. When he interviewed an artist, like, Big Daddy Kane, for instance, he asked Kane questions like; So Big Daddy, where did you first start performing? What year was it? Who were some of the people that you looked up to while you were coming up? What’s this whole thing with the Juice Crew and BDP, the reason I ask is because you seem to be respected by both sides so, what’s your take on things? How do you think it can be resolved?

See, now that was from a KDAY interview I heard in 1988. Never once did Greg Mack ask him how many hoes did he have waiting for him back at the hotel or in the limousine like you hear so often today in hip hop radio.

The groupie culture is one that loves to be seen in the places to be seen and to give the impression that they are down. But really ask yourself, do you care if some idiot on the radio was chillin in the club with some football or basketball player? What does the stations event that they are constantly promoting every 15 minutes have to do with your school closing down because the state has no money for teachers salaries and books for students?

Lets really go back, to WBLS and Mr. Magic, the man who was the first person to play rap records on the radio. I used to think that Mr. Magic was a big fan of the Force MCs, because they were on his show a lot, but to his credit he wasnt riding their dicks, he asked them good questions like; So fellas, you just won the battle out in New Jersey, how much rehearsal time did you put in for it? Ok, name some of your favorite doo-wop groups.

In defense of the deejays, I have to say, that they are only carrying out orders from up top. If station management didnt want that style of presentation they wouldve long since gotten rid of them. These are young brothers and sisters trying to make it, trying to find their way in a very competitive field. Managers are the ones that set the tone, so ultimately they are responsible. You’d think someone older with more experience would want to lead them better but not so. Dont get me wrong, there are some talented brothers and sisters on the radio today, and quite a few of them have real potential in the years to come.

So whats changed? What has changed in urban radio from the Frankie Crocker, Greg Mack era to now? Yes, hip hop music is more dominant today, but what about the quality of talent? Does a hip hop deejay have to sound like he just rolled out of the gutter? To a certain degree I can understand why urban radio programmers want their deejays to sound street, it makes them more relatable to a ghetto audience. But arent they doing the audience they serve a dis-service by going that route? Do the station managers know that they are reinforcing negative racial stereotypes of the inner-city audiences that they are catering to?

Yes, hip hop culture is far more influential today than it was when Frankie Crocker and Mr. Magic ruled the airwaves, but does that mean that radio has to appeal to the lowest common denominator? No.

Black people have always talked slang. As far back as the 50s, the first black radio jocks were rappers – people like Jocko Henderson and many others. Within that style they entertained and informed the community, later, people like Frankie Crocker took to the airwaves and just talked to people in a conversational style. There was no need to talk jive on air anymore.

Do station managers know that by reinforcing these stereotypes that they are helping to keep black and Latino youth forever ignorant?

Why is it I can turn on a rock station, and hear guys on there with a sense of humor and who aren’t talking down to their audience? But mostly I dont hear anyone yelling on rock radio. Except on the records. Is hip hop that low of a culture that standards have to be lower for us than anybody else?

Hip hop radio is now notorious for being shout out and request radio, instead of being informative as well as entertaining.

Now, the whole shout out style comes from the mix tape scene, which works really well in clubs and car systems, but radio should have a different standard. Dont get it twisted, I like the mix tape dee-jays, but there needs to be a balance between that and regular radio. I dont need to hear DJ Clue or Whoo Kidd, or even Kid Capri reading liners and doing interviews let them rock the party

Because I’m down for positive changes in our culture, heres what I think station owners can do to help change this situationStation managers talk with your dee-jays, talk to them about being conversational, talk to them about them being role models in our communities, talk to them about preparing for an interview, you know, stuff like researching the artist, so that you can ask different kinds of questions so that fans and non-fans can walk away with more thanDamn look at all that ice in that medallion!

And remember mediocrity is only realized in the presence of excellence.

 

Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Have We Had Enough of Hip Hop Radio?

June 12, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Have We Had Enough of Hip Hop Radio?
By Davey D
original article-June 12 2006

daveyd-raider2If you check the latest ratings you may find it interesting to note the fall of some prominent Hip Hop stations in Los Angeles and New York. For the first time in a long time WBLS an adult oriented station is actually doing better then both Hot 97 and Power 105. In Los Angeles none of the urban stations (KPWR-Power 106), KKBT 100.3 the Beat and KDAY are in the top 10. The fall of Power 106 which is sister station to Hot 97 is major when you consider the fact for years this was the dominant station in LA.

This huge drop in ratings leads to one asking what’s really going on here. Is the public growing tired of the same Laffy Taffy, homogenous G-Unit format that can be heard on every Hip Hop station from city to city and from coast to coast?

Are the audiences of these stations getting older and simply want something a lot smoother and more adult oriented then the crunk style offerings that dominate the Hip Hop stations? Does the fall of these stations indicate better things to come? Will the program directors of these outlets finally get it and start giving the people what they want versus what the record labels say they need?

I ran into Greg Street of V103 in Atlanta the other day and asked him about this and he pointed out something interesting. He noted that many of the deejays on those stations that are falling aren’t true on air personalities. Yes, many of them may have name recognition. Some of them are artists and TV stars, but he pointed out that very few have actually been apprentices to radio. He said this comes into play at the end of the day, because people really want more than celebrity.

He added that theres a science, methodology and commitment one has to have when it comes to doing radio. He pointed out how many have been tossed on the air and have not been given any rhyme or reason as to how they should be doing things. He said that people are growing tired of hearing cats come on the air and not really talk about nothing and not do anything.

He also pointed out that very few go out and do things in the community for the sake of making a difference, as opposed to doing a promotional gimmick for the station or themselves. Street pointed to the high ratings and success of V103 in Atlanta as proof of his point. Will you ever see a personality like Funkmaster Flex going into the schools trying to mentor kids who need it or will it become a big event complete with TV crews and lights designed to highlight him and the station versus the kids who really need help?

Street talked about all the behind the scenes community work he and others at his station do that is not promoted on the air. He says its done because he is really a part of the community and the lives of his listeners. At the end of the day its that sort of commitment that will win out in the end.

Journalist Mark Skillz noted this in an article he penned a few months back called ‘Shout Out Radio’ where he pointed out how today’s on air personalities do nothing more then give shout outs on the air. They shout out friends, celebrities and album release dates for particular artists and walk away thinking that’s enough, when in fact the community and listeners need and want so much more.

He noted that people get turned off when they turn on the radio and have to endure some deejay bragging about how he was backstage hanging out with an artist drinking Cristal when most couldnt even afford a ticket to the event. He said that these jocks have increasingly become out of touch with the listeners and have ceased being effective conduits for the community that craves information that is meaningful.

With the demise of some of these big urban giants we have to also look at the big drop in album sales for many big named artists despite increased promotion and hype. 50 Cent going from 8 million albums sold on his first release to 4 million albums sold on the Massacre album is a good case in point.

While record label execs are quick to spin this and note that 50 sold the most albums last year, they are slow to point out that he had 5 times the promotion put behind him. In 2005 he had several expensive marketing campaigns including ones to promote his movie, energy drink, video game and book. He was always on MTV and BET and could be heard in regular rotation on Top 40 stations thus indicating that he had crossed over to the mainstream. Like I said all that promotion didnt come cheap. It was brought and paid for, yet instead of increased album sales you saw less.

Blaming it on downloads and bootleg CDs doesnt explain the big drop off. Theres no way 4 million albums were downloaded. And if that was the case explain the drop in ratings with many of these urban Hip Hop stations where his music is played day in and day out. Is it too much? Are we being oversaturated with the same old same old? Are these stations missing the mark?

KKBT the Beat in LA recently switched up their format and said they wanted to abandon rap and play R&B while fusing it with adult oriented talk. They wanted to go back to the tradition of urban radio where your favorite jock hit you upside the head with good music and good conversation. That seems to fly in the face of the More Music Less Talk mantra that is embraced by most commercial radio. Is this whats needed or is there something else missing? Now we know they’re onto something with being more adult. But should Hip Hop be included? Is there adult oriented Hip Hop both in content and sound?

Some say that the music needs to match the mindset of the people. Its too dumbed down and juvenile. The other night at the House of Blues, the Roots performed to a sold out crowd that ranged the entire age and ethnic gauntlet. You saw gangsta types and Bohemian types all up in the venue grooving along to the band and their special guest which included Blackstar w/ Mos Def and Talib and GZA from Wu-Tang.

Tickets were being scalped outside for 100 bucks a pop. A local deejay that will go unnamed asked out loud how come her/his radio station never plays The Roots when its obvious that they have such a big fan base and this is what a lot people want? Why cant we hear more Pete Rock and CL Smooth melodic type music?

Conventional wisdom will point to album sales and say these types of acts dont have high numbers hence they should not get played. However, Mobb Deep didnt do that well with their last album and we hear them all the time so whats really going?

We also have heard conventional wisdom from industry experts that says groups like The Roots or Little Brother are too smart and will go over the heads of the average listener. In other words the people are just too dumb to appreciate music that moves beyond being loud and having a monotonous 4 count.

In any case one cant deny were at a crossroads. Im not sure how it will all pan out but change is definitely needed

#1 New York, NY
Updated 5/22/2006
Spring ’06 ARBITRENDS (February, March, April)

Pop: 15,332,000
Black: 2,710,700 (18%) Hispanic: 3,212,500 (21%) Asian: 787,047 (5%)

Station Format Owner………….. Spr 05… Sum 05… Fall 05… Win 06… F/M/A 06

WLTW AC Clear Channel…………6.1… 5.8… 7.4… 6.6… 7.1
WSKQ Spanish SBS……………….4.8…4.2…4.5…5.6…5.6
WHTZ Top 40/M Clear Channel….3.9…4.2…4.4…4.7…4.7

WRKS Urban AC Emmis….4.7…5.5…4.5…4.4…4.5

WPAT Spanish SBS………………..2.9…3.2…3.7…4.5…4.4
WINS-A News CBS Radio………….3.7…4.2…4.2…4.1…4.0

WBLS Urban AC Inner City…….3.6…3.1…3.5…3.7…3.8

 WWPR Urban Clear Channel…4.0…4.6…4.1…3.9…3.7

 WQHT Top 40/R Emmis…….4.3…4.5…4.3…3.7…3.5

WABC-A Talk ABC………………….3.2…3.6…3.4…3.5…3.3
WAXQ Classic Rock Clear Channel…3.5…3.2…2.7…3.0…3.3
WQCD Smooth Jazz Emmis…………2.9…3.0…3.1…2.9…3.0
WKTU Top 40/R Clear Channel…3.0…3.0…2.7…2.7…2.8
WCAA/WZAA Spanish Univision……2.4…2.8…2.8…2.4…2.5
WCBS-A News CBS Radio………3.0…2.7…3.1…2.5…2.4

WQXR Classical NY Times 2.6… 1.8… 2.3… 2.7… 2.4
WPLJ Hot AC ABC 2.4… 2.2… 2.2 … 2.1 … 2.3
WFAN-A Sports CBS Radio 2.6… 2.7… 2.7… 2.2… 2.2
WOR-A Talk Buckley 2.3… 2.1… 2.2… 2.1… 2.2
WCBS-F AC CBS Radio 3.0… 1.5… 1.7… 1.5… 1.7
WNEW AC CBS Radio 2.0 2.3 1.8 1.8 1.7

WADO-A Spanish Univision 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.2
WFNY Talk CBS Radio 3.4 3.2 3.2 1.1 1.1
WALK AC Clear Channel 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
WLIB-A Talk Inner City 1.0 1.2 1.4 0.8 1.0

#2 Los Angeles, CA
Updated 5/23/2006
Spring ’06 ARBITRENDS (February, March, April)

Pop: 10,790,100
Black: 822,300 (8%) Hispanic: 4,422,000 (41%) Asian: 0 (0%)
Station Format Owner Spr 05 Sum 05… Fall 05… Win 06… F/M/A 06

KLVE Spanish Univision 4.0… 4.2… 4.3… 4.8 … 4.9
KIIS Top 40/M Clear Channel 4.7… 4.4… 4.3… 4.9 … 4.6
KFI-A Talk Clear Channel 3.9… 4.0… 4.0… 4.0… 4.5
KSCA Regional Mexican Univision 4.0… 3.5… 3.8… 4.2… 4.4
KLAX Regional Mexican SBS 4.0… 3.7… 3.3… 4.3… 4.1

KBUA/KBUE Mexican Liberman 3.1… 3.1… 3.3… 3.6… 3.9
KOST AC Clear Channel 3.7… 3.1… 4.4… 3.8… 3.8
KROQ Alternative CBS Radio 3.7… 3.8… 3.9… 3.5… 3.5
KCBS Adult Hits CBS Radio 3.0… 3.4… 2.9… 3.4… 3.3
KTWV Smooth Jazz CBS Radio 3.8… 3.0… 3.2… 3.3… 3.3

KRCD/KRCV Spanish Univision 2.6… 2.5… 3.2 … 3.4… 3.2
KXOL Hurban SBS 2.0… 4.2… 3.6 … 3.2… 3.0

KPWR Top 40/R Emmis

4.2… 4.0… 3.5… 3.2… 2.8

[/u]
KRTH Oldies CBS Radio 2.5… 2.7… 2.7… 2.7… 2.8
KHHT R&B Oldies Clear Channel 2.9… 3.0… 2.8… 2.4… 2.4

KSSE Spanish Entravision 2.4… 2.3… 2.2… 2.4… 2.3
KABC-A Talk ABC 2.1… 2.5… 2.4… 2.3… 2.2
KBIG Hot AC Clear Channel 1.9… 2.3… 2.3… 2.1… 2.1
KLOS Classic Rock ABC 2.0… 2.1… 2.1… 1.9… 2.1

KKBT Urban Radio One

3.2… 2.5… 2.4… 1.9… 1.8

KZLA Country Emmis 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.8
KNX-A News CBS Radio 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6
KJLH Urban AC Taxi 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.5
KLSX Talk CBS Radio 2.3 2.5 2.2 1.5 1.5
KMZT Classical Mount Wilson 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5
KYSR Hot AC Clear Channel 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.5

KFWB-A News CBS Radio 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3
KHJ-A Spanish Liberman — 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.2
KLYY Tropical Entravision 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2
KRLA-A Talk Salem — 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.0
KTLK-A Talk Clear Channel 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.0

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

An Open Letter to Hip Hop About Net Neutrality

June 9, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

An Open Letter to Hip Hop About Net Neutrality

by Davey D

original article-June 09, 2006

daveyd-raider2Dear Folks who say they Love Hip Hop

I wish there was a way to make this issue of Net Neutrality more interesting. I wish there was a way to spice it up and make it compelling like some sort of beef within the rap industry. Maybe I should get Brad and Angelina to talk about it instead of their baby. Maybe Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton can utter a few words and force us to take more of an interest.

I wish Cam’ron spent his vast money holding press conferences, dissing punk ass Congress for taking tainted money from Verizon, SBC, and Comcast instead of going after Jay-Z. Im glad Jay-Z ignored Camron, unfortunately he remained silent as the President of Def Jam on this important issue. We’ll see what happens after Def Jam finds it difficult or too costly to send out their e-post cards alerting me and others of their latest releases

Im sorry Miss Jones on Hot 97 was so upset and enraged that she felt compelled to make headlines calling Mary J Blige a bitch for not shouting her out at last weeks Summer Jam. Its too bad that she didnt use her 3-4 hours a day of airtime in the nations largest city to call the greedy Congress people who accepted money from these corporations Bitches. There aint gonna be any shout outs if the Senate follows Congress in passing this bill. Maybe she’ll step it up when her parent company Emmis finds that folks from all over the country can no longer easily access their archived interviews on their website.

It’s too bad that many of us found this issue ‘too complicated’ and ‘too overwhelming’ and hence directed our attention to Ludacris and Ice Cube’s beef with Oprah. This is the feedback I got after stories ran on my website as well as AllHipHop.

Shyt I’m sorry Oprah was too busy telling Ed Lover that she really does love Hip Hop and that she listens to 50 Cent and his violent ass all damn day instead of alerting her millions of viewers about the issue of Net Neutrality.

Im sorry that KRS-One and others used these Internet airways to tell us about the Hip Hop Nation they want to build, but didnt issue a call to action to protect a main arm of our communication. Whether you’re a Hip Hop or Rap Lover the elimination of Net Neutrality is gonna impact you..

Here’s what’s happening folks. The house has gone passed the COPE bill and rejected proposals to insure Net Neutrality. Those who sided with the Comcast and Verizon are well aware that the ability of ordinary people to communicate to the masses is a problem because its been the only thing holding them accountable. For the last 5 years, the biggest stories about government corruption, corporate swindles, global warming and no weapons of Mass Destruction has come through Internet bloggers who were able to push an issue to the masses and force Fox, CNN and other News outlets to pay some sort of attention.

Anyone who is an activist and championed causes ranging from Election fraud and Diebold Machines, police brutality Freeing Mumia, Global warming, Media Reform and Saving the South Central Farm in LA just to name a few this is will especially hit you hard, because the Internet and its neutrality provisions have enabled many of us to counter biased mainstream media outlets get information out about particular causes all over the world.

Yesterday that ability took one step closer to coming to an end. The mantra being sung on Capitol Hill is Shut it down, Shut that shyt down and redirect traffic to a handful of places and media outlets that they can influence and control.

Like Ice Cube said ‘Laugh Now and Cry Later’, because many of us will soon be crying when we see the Internet gets parceled up and we start paying outrageous tolls for basic amenities. And speaking of which why didn’t Ice Cube talk about this issue instead of not being invited on Oprah?

Anyway your next steps should you choose is to call your Senator’s office and tell them to stand up and protect your interests. Ignoring this, waiting for others to take on your responsibility or acting like the issue will simply go away will not change this.

While many of you may shrug this off and think it doesn’t apply to you, stop and think of all the activities you do on the daily that involve the Internet. Such activities range from using phone cards which use Internet connections-(Many of y’all didn’t realize that) on down to peeping your favorite blog… Many of y’all like to surf and check out my site, AllHipHop, Sohh, HipHopGame etc.. Folks that shyt is about to change in a big, big ,big way.

You’re soon gonna be left with only being able to peep monthly issues of The Source and XXL, who neglected to address this issue. The Source bypassed this in their Media Watch column and Elliot Wilson from XXL obvious saw his shyt talking editorials as more important then keeping you informed. I guess I can understand, all these Hip Hop Internet websites were eating into business.

All you artists who felt like you can easily get your music out there via Myspace and the other sites, that’s about to change Oh yeah lets not forget the punk ass RIAA who like to sue everybody. They stayed silent on this and in fact while all this is going on they have quietly lobbying Congress to change laws so that they can fundamentally change the copyright laws in such a way that it will make it damn near impossible to pass things around via the net. Please read about this here:

 
and here:
 
Also lets not let Steve Jobs and his vast i-tunes network off the hook. Perhaps I missed it, but I didnt see him alerting us when you went to download your favorite song or stepped into his stores. Perhaps he figures he’s rich enough to pay for the inevitable increases while the rest of us cant. In other words controlling 90% of the market is not enough.

bobbyrushglasses-225Shame on former Black Panther, Congressman Bobby Rush for selling us out and supporting these corporations. Shame on the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and any other Civil Rights group pretending to represent our interests while selling us out and taking the money to front for these groups. And while Im glad former Congressman Ron Dellums did well in his Mayoral bid in Oakland, we should not forget that hes also a lobbyist with one of his main clients being Verizon so shame on him as well. How’s Oakland gonna be a world class city that is a beacon for new technology and innovation when his client is one of the main people trying to shut down the Internet?

In closing I’m gonna say this and it may be sobering for some… It’s what my pops told me after I got caught fuccing up and then went home and tried to kiss up to him so I wouldn’t get in trouble. He told me to stop acting like a wuss and start acting like a man. He told me it was time I grow up and accept responsibility. He then punished me for 3 weeks not for the fucc up, but for me trying to kiss his ass instead of owning up to my mistakes. This is about to happen to all of us…

My point is this. Hip Hop is over 30 years old. We’re not kids no more. This industry is not run by kids. To not involve ourselves in shaping the institutions that we rely on to get our information and music out is irresponsible. Thats some thing to pond about. Here’s another breakdown on this issue courtesy of www.playahata.com

Peace out for now

Holla at your Senator before you holla back at me..
Davey D

House Rejects Net Neutrality

The First Amendment of the Internet the governing principle of net neutrality, which prevents telecommunications corporations from rigging the web so it is easier to visit sites that pay for preferential treatment took a blow from the House of Representatives Thursday.

Bowing to an intense lobbying campaign that spent tens of millions of dollars and held out the promise of hefty campaign contributions for those members who did the bidding of interested firms the House voted 321 to 101 for the disingenuously-named Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE). That bill, which does not include meaningful network-neutrality protections creates an opening that powerful telephone and cable companies hope to exploit by expanding their reach while doing away with requirements that they maintain a level playing field for access to Internet sites.

“Special interest advocates from telephone and cable companies have flooded the Congress with misinformation delivered by an army of lobbyists to undermine decades-long federal practice of prohibiting network owners from discriminating against competitors to shut out competition. Unless the Senate steps in, (Thursday’s) vote marks the beginning of the end of the Internet as an engine of new competition, entrepreneurship and innovation.” says Jeannine Kenney, a senior policy analyst for Consumers Union.
In case there was any question that Kenney’s assessment was accurate, the House voted 269-152 against an amendment, offered by Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey, which would have codified net neutrality regulations into federal law. The Markey amendment would have prevented broadband providers from rigging their services to create two-tier access to the Internet with an “information superhighway” for sites that pay fees for preferential treatment and a dirt road for sites that cannot pay the toll.

After explicitly rejecting the Markey amendment’s language, which would have barred telephone and cable companies from taking steps “to block, impair, degrade, discriminate against, or interfere with the ability of any person to use a broadband connection to accessservices over the Internet,” the House quickly took up the COPE legislation.

The bill drew overwhelming support from Republican members of the House, with the GOP caucus voting 215-8 in favor of it. But Democrats also favored the proposal, albeit by a narrower vote of 106 to 92. The House’s sole independent member, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, a champion of internet freedom who is seeking his state’s open Senate seat this fall, voted against the measure.

Joining Sanders in voting against the legislation were most members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including its co-chairs, California Representatives Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, as well as genuine conservatives who have joined the fight to defend free speech and open discourse on the internet, including House Judiciary Committee chair James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, and Intelligence Committee chair Pete Hoekstra, R-Michigan.

The left-meets-right voting in the House reflected the coalition that has formed to defend net neutrality, which includes such unlikely political bedfellows as the Christian Coalition of America, MoveOn.org, National Religious Broadcasters, the Service Employees International Union, the American Library Association, the American Association of Retired People, the American Civil Liberties Union and all of the nation’s major consumer groups.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, opposed COPE, while House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, and Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, were enthusiastically supported it.

Among the Democrats who followed the lead of Hastert and Boehner as opposed to that of Pelosi were House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Maryland Representative Ben Cardin, who is running for that state’s open Senate seat in a September Democratic-primary contest with former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. Illinois Democrat Melissa Bean, who frequently splits with her party on issues of interest to corporate donors, voted with the Republican leadership, as did corporate-friendly “New Democrats” such as Alabama’s Artur Davis, Washington’s Adam Smith and Wisconsin’s Ron Kind all co-chairs of the Democratic Leadership Council-tied House New Democrat Coalition.

The fight over net neutrality now moves to the Senate, where Maine Republican Olympia Snowe and North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan have introduced legislation to codify the net neutrality principles of equal and unfettered access to Internet content into federal law. Mark Cooper, the director of research for the Consumers Federation of America, thinks net neutrality will find more friends in the Senate, at least in part because the “Save the Internet” coalition that has grown to include more than 700 groups, 5,000 bloggers and 800,000 individuals is rapidly expanding.

“This coalition will continue to grow, millions of Americans will add their voices, and Congress will not escape the roar of public opinion until Congress passes enforceable net neutrality,” says Cooper.

Cooper’s correct to be more hopeful about the Senate than the House. But the House vote points up the need to get Democrats united on this issue. There’s little question that a united Democratic caucus could combine with principled Republicans in the Senate to defend net neutrality. But if so-called “New Democrats” in the Senate side with the telephone and cable lobbies, the information superhighway will become a toll road.

Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Industry news & Views, June '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , ,

MC Hammer The Vindication Interview w/ Davey D

June 6, 2006 By

This is one of the deepest and realest interviews you will ever hear as we sat down with MC Hammer for a candid no holds barred interview about all things Hip Hop. What he had to say was both eye opening and incredibly insightful.

Many of us within Hip Hop have severely underestimated MC Hammer and now we’re coming to see that he was light years ahead of the curve in terms of how one should approach business and even approach music. In pt1 we go over several key facets about Hammer’s career that he should be vindicated for including him being among the first rapper’s to spark endorsement deals.
He gives a serious breakdown about how folks made fun of him and wanted to ban him from Hip Hop only to turn around years later and seek these revenue streams now that they realize the music business can be extremely shady when it comes to getting paid. Hammer takes us deep by talking about how major record labels are now hijacking artists and attaching themselves to some of the lucrative endorsement deals that are being offered today.
We also talk about Hammer and his brother Louis Burrell being years ahead of artists in terms of getting clothing lines. Many did not know that the pair had a substantial stake in Troop Outfits. He and his brother were smart and actually opened up 30-40 Troop stores around the country and had the foresight to get them placed in popular locations and key malls. Just as the business was starting to really take off, Hammer and his brother found themselves the victims of what many consider corporate sabotage. Nasty rumors circulated around the country that Troop was owned by the Ku Klux Klan, when in fact Hammer, LL Cool J and Fat Joe were all owners. Outlets like MTV and urban radio did nothing to dispel those rumors and within a year of these nasty rumors Troop folded. Many speculate that it was rival clothing company like Addidas that was behind the rumors, but of course that was never proven. Many just speculated since they were the dominant urban clothing outfit at that time.

In this interview we spoke to Hammer about him being the first to put out Gospel Hip Hop on vinyl. Today we all praise Kanye West for the hit song ‘Jesus Walks’, but many overlook the fact that Hammer came on the scene using the moniker Holy Ghost Boy. His first song which was actually a demo cut passed around via cassette tape was a cut called ‘The Word’.

On his first LP ‘Feel My Power’ which was released independently in 1987-88, he had a dope hip hop gospel song called ‘Son of a King’. In our interview Hammer talks about his connection to the church and how he has struggled over the years with his own contradictions and spiritual beliefs. Also in this portion of our interview with MC Hammer, he gets deep about the connection between Hip Hop and spirituality.

We also have a lengthy discussion about the connection between Hip Hop and Funk. For those who don’t know, Hammer used to tour with a huge band that included the original horn section from Earth Wind & Fire. He goes into great detail about the history of west coast Hip Hop and how it emerged from the funk era. Hammer talks about how the Bay Area was the home of the Live Band and how every Black kid in the hood had a funk band. These bands were the equivalent to the early Hip Hop crews back East in terms of being the major platform for cultural expression by folks in the hood. Hammer talks at length about the early dance scene and the significant role it played in the development of west coast Hip Hop.

He talks about some of the early dance crews and dance styles. He also talks about how Michael Jackson used to come up to the Bay Area and get hipped to dance styles he would later incorporate in his shows. The most famous dance that Jackson got from the Bay Area was the robot.

Hammer also talks at length about New York City and why he did a song like ‘Turn this Mutha Out’. He talks about the irresponsibility of the Hip Hop press and how they tried to twist things for the general public. He talks about his friendship with Hip Hop pioneer Mele-Mel’. He also talks about the time he went up to the Latin Quarters by himself and got busy on stage right before Ultramagnetic performed. He noted that DJ Red Alert gave him a messed up introduction.

This concludes pt 1 of this interview..

Listen to pt 1 of this MC Hammer Interview on Breakdown FM

MC Hammer-The Vindication Interview pt2
East Oakland Street Life, Prisons, Police Helicopters, Cointelpro & Eazy E

In pt2 of our one on one with MC Hammer, he let’s us know about his connection to the streets. Folks outside the Bay Area saw the genie pants and the typewriter walk dance and figured Hammer was some sort of softy who could and should be dismissed. Folks in Oakland knew otherwise. Hammer was and is no joke. His old crew, the High Street Bank Boys were more than notorious. Hammer talks at length about the types of steps he took to pull his home boys away from street life and the challenges it presented. His actions by default became a full scale prison to work program. He explained how it was this sort of activity that eventually led to him going bankrupt.

Hammer spoke at length how the police along with some outside enemies tried to undermine his efforts and spread a nasty rumor about him buying OPD a police helicopter. He emphatically refutes the claim and talked about the type of corruptions that had gone on within the police department and how many officers were upset because he was providing opportunities for guys they wanted to see locked up.

We spoke at length about Cointelpro and how many of the other independent movements including Luke in Miami, James Prince in Houston and Eazy E in LA all saw themselves under fire at the same time. He spoke about the early attempts these young black entrepreneurs made to consolidate their resources and create a major distribution channel. It was at that point that the helicopter rumors surfaced and Luke came under fire for obscene material. James Prince and Rap-A-Lot records became the object of a federal investigation. Hammer gets deep with this aspect.. Lastly he talks about his close friendship with Eazy E and how the two had a lot in common because of their street background..

Listen to pt 2 of this MC Hammer Interview on Breakdown FM

 

MC Hammer-The Vindication Interview pt3
The Hustle-The Music Biz-The Hyphy Movement and 2Pac

In our final installment, we talk with MC Hammer about the city he reps and loves Oakland. He talks about the vibe of the city and the type of independent hustle-do for self mentality embraced by its residents Hammer also gives us a lot of insight about the music biz. Anybody trying to make it in the industry needs to hear what Hammer is saying with regards to this.. We also talk about the then current Hyphy Movement. Hammer gives a breakdown on this as well as updating us on his own new projects. We conclude our conversation with Hammer telling us about his friendship with 2Pac and they types of political ambitions the pair had planned out.

Listen to pt 3 of this MC Hammer Interview on Breakdown FM

Filed Under: Breakdown FM Interviews, Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, June '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lupe Fiasco Talked About Uganda’s NightWalkers

May 31, 2006 By
dbanner1newparis
Lupe Fiasco Talked About Uganda’s NightWalkers
by Davey D
original article- May 31 2006
In our interview with Lupe Fiasco, he spoke about the tragedy taking place in Uganda. He was in support of trying to help find solutions to the nightwalkers. Read about this issue where you further learn about this and hopefully get involved…

A Defining Issue for African Americans: Saving the Child Night Commuters
 
Dear Friends of Black People World Wide:
 
There are thousands of children that will travel 7 – 10 miles by foot tonight just to sleep in partial safety. Many of them will sleep on the ground. I went to bed tonight at 10pm only to awake at 2am because I could not sleep knowing that our babies are going through this hell tonight (and every night).  About 2 months ago, I interviewed some college students that were sleeping outside to bring attention to the “child night commuters in the northern region of Uganda . These college students were all white. My procrastination and inaction has caused me to lose sleep over this. So, I make this plea for your help in this most serious cause. Because these are African children, I believe African-American elected officials, media and activists must take action. And, we all should do something.

 
I ask that you please:
 
1.) Send an email and/or call the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (Rep. Melvin L. Watt) and ask that the Caucus take the lead and immediate action on this issue. You may even forward him this email at nc12.public@mail.house.gov or call him at (202) 225-1510.

2.) Send this email to your list of people who will forward it to others who care about Black people.

3.) Learn more about this (at http://www.Poli-Tainment.com) and mention it to one other person you know – in person.
 
Thank you for caring about OUR babies.

Your Friend,

 Opio Lumumba Sokoni 
 
  ABOUT THE CHILD NIGHT COMMUTERS

Children continue to be the main casualties in the 20-year-old war in northern Uganda between government forces and rebels who are known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has abducted more than 20,000 children. These boys and girls are beaten, tortured, raped, forced to fight, and sometimes killed.
 
Night Commuters
Terrified of being abducted by the LRA at night, as many as 40,000 children leave their rural homes every evening. Known as “night commuters,” these children walk to neighbouring towns (including Gulu, Pader, and Kitgum). They sleep on the street or in public buildings. They hope there is safety in numbers.

 Abducted Children
Abducted children are often forced to murder their own family members and burn down their villages. The LRA does this to make the children believe they won’t be welcomed back to their communities should they escape.

 Children Who Escape
Thankfully, thousands of children have escaped or been liberated by government forces. However, these children are usually severely traumatized. There are few social services available to help them recover. Most children have little education and few vocational skills. They are often rejected by their families and communities because of the atrocities they have committed. Many girls who were raped in captivity are now mothers. HIV rates are high. Although they are free, these children have little hope for the future.
 
AGAIN, PLEASE:
 
1.) Send an email and/or call the chairman of the Black Congressional Caucus (Rep. Melvin L. Watt) and ask that the Caucus take the lead and immediate action on this issue. You may even forward him this email at nc12.public@mail.house.gov or call him at (202) 225-1510.

2.) Send this email to your list of people who will forward it to other people who care about Black people.

3.) Learn more about this (at http://www.Poli-Tainment.com) and mention it to one other person you know – in person.
 
to Learn More go to http://www.Poli-Tainment.com

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, Hip Hop News articles, May '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Wave of tragedy devastates the hip-hop community

May 19, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

Wave of tragedy devastates the hip-hop community

By Davey D

original article-may 19, 2006

Davey DThe hip-hop community has been hit with devastating losses over the past few months.

Fans around the world were saddened when producer J-Dilla of Detroit’s Slum Village suddenly took a turn for the worse and died in February of complications from lupus. His death was especially painful because it occurred just days before his critically acclaimed album “Donuts” came out. The previous week, an album-release party was held in Los Angeles, where numerous artists for whom Dilla had made beats, including De La Soul, were on hand.

The sudden death in March of Professor X (Lumumba Carson), leader of the Afrocentric political rap group X-Clan, sent shock waves throughout the community. His death was especially hard to accept because many had seen him at a media reform demonstration just three days earlier, where he had spoken about his determination to step up his activism and resurrect the Blackwatch organization founded by his father, Sonny Carson.

In addition, the members of X-Clan had patched up differences that had kept them apart for more than 10 years. They were set for a surprise reunion. The week Professor X died, he was supposed to visit California to shoot a video with group members Brother J and Paradise. This coast, particularly the Bay Area, had special meaning for the group because it was the first to embrace and champion the music of X-Clan, originally based in Brooklyn.

The fact that Professor X died of spinal meningitis made headlines in New York. The Professor X case underscored the music industry’s dirty little secret: Despite the billions of dollars the industry generates annually, most musicians do not have health insurance.

Weeks after these deaths, the hip-hop community was shocked to hear about the shooting death of Eminem’s best friend, Proof, leader of the group D-12. The charismatic Proof (who played the man who gave Eminem his start in the movie “8 Mile”) had announced that he was working with other artists on a tribute album for Detroit’s J-Dilla. Sadly, people are now doing a tribute album for Proof.

Over the past two weeks, California has lost three hip-hop legends, two of them on the same day. One was DJ Dusk, who spun frequently at Bay Area functions. Dusk was also a political activist in the area of education. He died two weeks ago, when he was hit by a drunken driver in Southern California as he walked a girlfriend to her car. According to witnesses, Dusk pushed the woman out of the way but was struck himself and dragged 80 yards. His selfless act speaks volumes about the kind of man he was.

His death was widely mourned in tributes around the country. He was so well loved that hip-hop pioneers Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Jazzy Jay made rare joint appearances in New York, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, where Dusk had his biggest followings. They visited San Francisco last weekend to do a tribute and raise money for Dusk’s family.

On the day that DJ Dusk was killed, Michael “Mixin’ ” Moore, a pioneer in hip-hop radio in L.A., died at age 46 from heart failure. Best known for his Militant Mix, fusing speeches and news clips over popular instrumentals, he also is credited with inventing the 5 o’clock Traffic Jam, a mainstay on commercial radio around the country.

While the hip-hop icons were paying tribute to DJ Dusk last weekend, rap legend Skeeter Rabbit of the pioneering dance group the Electric Boogaloos died. He was an innovator in “strutting” and “popping” and was no stranger to the Bay Area, where he participated in numerous competitions.

On Saturday may 20th there will be two seperate tributes and funerals for Skeeter Rabbit and Michael Mixxing Moore

With all the deaths, many in the hip-hop community have taken time to reflect. Since no one is promised tomorrow, we must learn to appreciate what we have today. Digital Underground’s “Heartbeat Props,” which encourages us to honor the living, rings especially true these days.

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, May '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Yet Another Hip Hop Legend Lost-RIP Skeeter Rabbit

May 15, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

   

Yet Another Hip Hop Legend Lost-RIP Skeeter Rabbit
by Davey D
original article-May 15 2006
 
It’s hard to say what exactly is going on as of late, but Hip Hop has been hit with some devastating loses as of late. From J-Dilla to Proof to Professor X, the losses have come quick, without warning and have left very little time for folks to grieve before being impacted with another unexpected demise.
 
Here on the West Coast, we have been hit extremely hard. The lose of DJ Dusk to a drunk driver still has LA and much of the West Coast’s Hip Hop scene reeling. This past weekend, Hip Hop pioneers Afrika Bambaataa and Kool Herc made a rare appearance on the same bill to raise money for Dusk’s family. They performed in LA on Friday and then in the Bay Area on Saturday. Also on the bill was Jazzy Jay who wrecked shop. On Friday’s show DJ Z-Trip and Cut Chemist came through and also represented. The night before the LA appearance Herc, Bam and Jazzy Jay spun at Tabel 50 in New York, where Dusk had a strong following.
 
In an eerie sense of Deja Vu, while these Hip Hop pioneers and icons were paying tribute to DJ Dusk and others were still trying to make sense of the passing of DJ Michael Mixxing Moore who passed on the same day as Dusk, unbeknowst to many of us in attendence, another Hip Hop legend-Skeeter Rabbit of the pioneering dance group the Electric Boogaloos passed away earlier that morning…
 
The word is just now getting out beyond the dance community and needless to say people are besides themselves… Everyone is asking what is going on?  Why is so much death hitting us… The details surrounding his death    are still unclear and sketchy. We’ll await an official announcement from the Electric Boogaloos and Skeeter’s family
 
In the meantime here’s some biographical information about a man who greatly impacted Hip Hop…
 
“Skeet started dancing as a young kid growing up in the streets of Los Angeles. Skeet started out locking and soon after started popping with his cousins Boogaloo Sam and Poppin Pete around 1978. In 1979 Skeet became an official member of the EB’s and has gone on to become a pioneer and innovator of the dance styles popping and boogaloo.
 
Skeet is currently helping spread funk styles knowledge through shows, appearances and classes around the world.
 
Skeet has appeared in videos by such artists as Thomas Dolby, The Talking Heads, and Michael Jackson. His movie credits include: Michael Jackson’s “Ghost,” “DC Cab,” “Body Rock” and “Fast Forward.” He was also a featured dancer on David Bowie’s Glass Spider tour. “
 
You can click here to see a couple of clips of Skeeter Rabbit dancing..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrC2PsGfXLI
 
 
You can also check the message boards of fellow EB member Mr Wiggle’s  for more info
http://p076.ezboard.com/fmrwiggleshiphopfrm1.showMessageRange?topicID=12190.topic&start=1&stop=20
 
or you can check the Electric Boogaloo’s website
http://www.electricboogaloos.com/
 
Here’s a eulogy that was written for Skeeter Rabbit.
 
A Eulogy to Skeeter Rabbit: The Man Who Saw Too Much
 
I’ve just been sitting here looking at pictures of Skeet.  For such a loud person, its interesting how he is so often in the back, off to the side.  His face looks different now than I remember it–its like another side of him has revealed itself.  Its like I can see it now when I look in his eyes–how he was haunted by the things he saw.
 
If you don’t know me, lets just say that at first glance Skeeter Rabbit, even someone with the name Skeeter Rabbit, is a pretty unlikely person for someone like me to have crossed paths with.  He is an even more unlikely one for me to have considered such a close friend.  The last time I saw him, only about two weeks ago, we both had tears in our eyes (in a choked-up manly sort of way of course) after one of Skeet’s patented hugs and a year without seeing each other.  How did two people from such vastly different backgrounds come together like that?  In my opinion, its about who Skeet (Stephen Nicholas) is as a soul and who he was as a human being.
 
My relationship with Skeet is a pretty strange one.  Its strange because Skeet’s a Crip (and I’m sure that wherever he is, he’s throwing up signs as we speak) from the black part of Dallas who was relocated to Compton, Watts, South Gate–places I’ve only heard about in rap songs even though I now live in Los Angeles.  And me, I’m a young white guy from Maine, a place where gangs live only on MTV, black people are usually African refugees, and popping is called breakdancing.
 
I found this popping thing about five years ago and instantly fell in love.  I started watching videos and practicing in my bedroom and I of course idolized my favorite dancers, like Skeet.  When I finally met him, I was SCURRRRRRRRRRED as the kids say.  I was so shy and he was such an intimidating presence, but I was immediately struck with how warm he was.  He made me feel ok, like I was welcome, like I was the star of the show.
 
As I got to know him better, this pattern continued and ultimately, more than any other single person I have met in my life (and this is not just after-death hyperbole), Skeet taught me that I am ok–just as I am.  Skeet didn’t intend to teach me this–he was more intent on me getting the mechanics of the Toyman down, learning variations on the Egyptian Twist, and of knowing how to do the ORIGINAL walkout.  See, he taught me that I am ok simply by being him.  I wrote an autobiographical play about six months ago and while I didn’t mention Skeet by name, a key passage was written directly about this experience. It goes like this:
 
so I put on this act again and it was just another one of these acts and it got harder as I got closer to these dancers as people….cuz there were all these things I wanted to say to them.. ask them about their lives and their experiences and who they were and what they thought about.. 
 
and I couldnt because of that damn voice.. all I could say was like wassup dawg.. yo,  word?? ill homie yaaah fresh… and my vocabulary was like 20 words and I couldn’t get anything out.. it just kept building until there was like one of those moments where something just finally comes to a head.. I just had to open up.. I couldnt stand it anymore so I just went out on a ledge and I tried.. I just said it.. and.. I was talking just like Im talking now.. cuz I couldnt do anything else.. the only way I could get these feelings out was to talk like this.. and the weirdest thing happened.. he was this big black guy ya know.. and he’s just listening like… uh huh word.. yup.. and he.. he took it in.. and he started opening up to me.. telling me things he didn’t tell other people.. 
and at that moment, something popped and I was just like……..
 
woah..
 
black people are just….. 
 
they’re just……. 
 
people..
 
wait a minute… maybe…. maybe people are just people… and I didn’t know what to say because
 
I just got accepted by a black guy
 
from the hood
 
as ME 
 
And that’s when it really started.. this part of me started moving to the forefront.. this part inside.. something that I wasn’t really familiar with started asserting itself more.. and.. it was really scary for me because I was coming from this if you cant touch it it doesn’t exist background right.. and this other thing wants to keep coming out.. Id get these urges… to cry… to pray… to just let go.. Sometimes… I’d just feel this indescribable longing…. like this remembrance… and before I knew it I started feeling the presence of God…
 
Now, Skeet loved telling gang stories and he told them so nonchalantly that it was hard for me sometimes to really comprehend how it must have affected him.  He told me casually that his first experience with gang violence was when he was 11 and how all he wanted to be when he grew up was a G.  He was fond of showing his scar from being stabbed and he was always proud of his collection.
 
But every so often I saw a different side of Steve.  It was like the anger and the pain could only be hidden or laughed off or run from for so long, and when he finally lost his breath and couldn’t keep up the act, there was a different person.  A deeply wounded, deeply regretful person who couldn’t help but ask why the things in his life happened as they did and why he couldn’t escape them.
 
When I got the call I was surprised, but somehow not.  I’m sure everyone can relate to that numbness that sets in.  As it started to sink in, I tried to get into his head–tried to get a peek inside and figure out how that happens and why.  And I kept picturing him reliving his past, haunted by memories he couldn’t make go away, regretting the things he’d done…  I’ll never know if this is true, but its as close as Ill probably ever get to understanding. 
 
And so I started to think that maybe there is a big lie that is sold to us about happiness and fulfillment and enlightenment.  It says that the more you open up to life, the more you let the grace of God into your heart, the easier/better/lighter your life becomes.  To me, Skeet proves that it isn’t true.  This is a man who as much as any I have encountered in my life strove for and stood for the truth.  And I know because of this, he saw an enormous amount of truth and light.  But he also saw a whole lot of dark.  He saw a lot of the ugliness of life, too much of the gritty reality that most of America and many of the people reading or hearing this are sheltered from.  And when you are open and honest and courageous enough to see the bad as well as the good, I think it is sometimes more than a human being can take. 
 
I have to say, on a far deeper level than I think words can express, I’m not sad at all–I’m not worried at all.  For I know Skeet and you and me and everyone has done this many times before and will do it many times again.  In Skeet’s eyes, I see an African warrior, a British philosopher, a Buddhist monk, an ancient martial artist, an Egyptian pharaoh.  But in this life, I see a deeply wounded man, an incredibly sensitive man who simply wasn’t able to harden or numb himself to the extent that his life experiences required him to do.
 
And last, as my duty to Stephen Nicholas, I would like to expand our scope.  As a child, this man was forced to grow up and see things that one should never see, let alone at the age that he did.  And in this regard, Skeet is just a number–another of the billions of people whose suffering and welfare are ignored and who are psychologically scarred for life by the things they experience in their childhood.  So, to those of you who mourn for Skeet, I hope you find it in you to extend that mourning to all children who grow up surrounded by war, by violence, by drugs, and by a system that tells them from day one that they don’t matter–whether the child lives in Maine, Dallas, Compton, Africa, Iraq, or Mexico.  And I hope we can use the life of someone who shined so brightly as a source of energy in our daily attempts to bring love and warmth to everyone we are fortunate enough to meet in this all-too-short little trip we call life.
 
For the dancers, Skeet always said to me that you have to find a teacher who teaches you how to teach yourself.  I’ve always seen myself as Skeet’s student and so I guess for me, its about that time now.  But I’ve been wondering about a final class, about what he might want to leave me with. It makes me think of the story Stretch told me, about how whenever they’re in Japan, Skeet is always the one going to the clubs to just get down–he just loves to dance.  And I think that’s what he’d say–that its as simple as that–just love to dance.
 
Skeet was a man of God.  His license plate read (in seven characters) I live for Him.  May we all be strong enough, courageous enough, and truthful enough–about who we really are, about what we are really going through–to do the same.  Thank you.
Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, May '06 Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

KRS-One: Is He Potentially to Hip Hop What Marcus Garvey was to Pan-Africanism?

May 7, 2006 By

dbanner1newparis

KRS-One: Is He Potentially to Hip Hop What

Marcus Garvey was to Pan-Africanism?

 

By Bro. Tony Muhammad

Politrix2012@yahoo.com

 original article-May 07, 2006

 

tonymuhammedchitown-225Just hours prior to his lecture at Florida International University this past month, KRS-One and myself had a deep conversation about how controversial the topic of discussion for the evening was Hip Hop and the Art of Civilization Building.  We talked about the general feelings, beliefs and characteristics associated with being part of a culture.  We discussed how the concept of a cultural identity is by and large something invented, a process that comes into being as a result of social circumstances.  The word culture in root, means to cultivate as you would do to a tree or a plant with the purpose of making it grow and flourish.  At the lecture, which was opened up by a panel of scholars from various walks of life, all influenced greatly by Hip Hop culture, KRS-One mentioned how today Hip Hop is in every profession: teachers, lawyers, doctors, even FBI Agents.  He also mentioned how people of different religions throughout the world claim Hip Hop. 

 

From a layered perspective of what culture is, the concept of culture is much more complicated than merely claiming identification with one particular group of people.  Under this view, we can identify with different sets of people in different circumstances.  For instance, I myself am what is typically known as a Latino and I am able to relate to and identify with other people within this diverse group based on the language, customs, food and music we generally share.  In other circumstances, as a Muslim, I am able to relate and identify with others based on the Islamic traditions that they hold (i.e. prayer, fasting, social customs, religious holidays, etc.).  From a constructionist point of view of what ethnic identity and culture is, a culture includes the concept of having a common history, traditions, myths, art, music, literature (or oral traditions) and language (even merely in the form of sayings, catch phrases, or even what is generally regarded as slang).  According to Dr. Joane Nagel, cultural identification among a group of people could come about as a result of either it being imposed by others, self-realized as a result of political and social realities or simply chosen based on perception of meaning.  When analyzed carefully, Hip Hop includes all of these characteristics and the people who have entered into it in different ways throughout its history.

 

marcus-garvey-225Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the founder and leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the early 20th century, was deemed controversial for arguing that peoples of African descent are in fact one people because they share a common racial condition and history.  Based on this, he developed a universal flag, newspaper, religion, national anthem and attempted government and economy under the banner of Pan-Africanism.  Garvey also organized world conferences which attracted and involved the participation of African peoples throughout the world who spoke different languages but identified with each other solely on the concept of being African.  Mind you, this was unheard of prior to this time and Garvey received both praise and scorn for it during his time.  Today, much of the cultural symbolisms and traditions that were birthed in the Garvey movement are found among African peoples throughout the world.  We even have an attempted unification of African countries, The African Union, which surely could not have been developed without the idea and belief that the peoples that live within the region have some form cultural connection to one another and should come together based on it.

 

 Is this much different from the path that KRS-One is headed towards?  He has already been both highly praised and scorned for introducing the concept I am Hip Hop.  Under the Temple of Hiphop, for the past 8 years, he has pushed the idea of celebrating Hip Hop Appreciation Week in mid-May.  He has even had the United Nations sanction Hip Hop as an official culture, developed what is known as The Hiphop Declaration of Peace and is currently in the final process of releasing the universally driven Gospel of Hiphop.  Just as Garvey, at one point of his life, became greatly frustrated with Blacks in the United States for being too focused on their own problems (rather than viewing the scope of their reality from an international perspective), KRS-One this year seeks to celebrate Hip Hop Appreciation Week in Europe to see if there is a difference of response to his calling.  Overall, to many of us of the Hip Hop generation in the past 20 years, KRS-One has many at times driven us to question our world views and identity within it a mental and spiritual exodus that Marcus Garvey inspired in a similar way almost a century ago.

 

krsone1smile-225Those who do not take KRS-One seriously in these endeavors typically just view him as an artist.  As you look deeper into KRS-One, you will see much more than this; a philosopher who expresses himself in the traditional ways of the West African griot breaking down history, science and universal principles backed by the popular music of the time.  Today, in our superimposed Western form of thinking we tend to separate and categorize (and sub-categorize) all of this and tend to limit each other based on one main thing that we do in our lives.

 

When we take Hip Hop a step further and say we are going to form a government and economy over it, this may not be possible at this particular time when the corporations of the world are defining for people generally what Hip Hop is supposed to be and what a typical Hip Hopper is supposed to look and act like.  When the ice of this age melts and the glits and glamour are gone, will we be able to distinguish between who the real community builders are from the trend followers?  With how diverse the Hip Hop community is and how certain members are so highly ego driven, would a political and economic system over it be successful?  How would we be able to deal with the concept of diversity itself, especially considering that racism itself continues to be a highly unresolved problem in this world?  What about dealing with issues in the community such as homosexuality, which is highly expressively unacceptable among many within Hip Hop?  How much of this can potentially become a mass movement rather than a spectator sport situation?  Truly, these questions need to be answered before we move forward in this increasingly complex and technological world.  Surely, we can not rely on just one man to answer them for us.  We must all do our part within the dialogue – The Reality!

 

Stay tuned to the Urban America Newspaper website, www.uannetwork.com, as to how you can get a copy of the historic KRS-One lecture at Florida International University on DVD in the following months.

 

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Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Hip Hop Articles 2006, May '06 Articles, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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