Andre 3 stacks of Outkast is in my Top 10 Favorite MCs not just because he’s an incredible lyricist but because he’s an incredible person. His line of work whether it be music, film or fashion has always been different & a representation of his individuality & creativity. In this rap game most MC’s seem to look or sound like another & everyone. I respect Andre for remaining true to himself & being one of few who push the envelope. For these reasons and many more he is a true Light Bringer.

I hate it when bands fall back and say, “We’re underground; we don’t want to make money.” Because it’s not really about making money; it’s about exposing everybody to what you’re doing. And I want to do that. It’s harder to be a success, globally, and be artistic. Harder to have that balance than just to be artistic when nobody understands you. You can just sit at home and do it yourself and have nobody listen to you.” Andre 3000

In high school, Benjamin (who was then performing as “Dre”) met Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. After a few lyrical battles, the two teamed up to form Outkast. Shortly after graduating high school, the duo were signed to the Atlanta-based LaFace label and released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, in 1994. Buoyed by the success of the single “Player’s Ball”, the album went platinum by the end of the year and Outkast was named Best New Rap Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards.
On their next two albums, ATLiens and Aquemini, Outkast experimented with their sound by adding elements of trip-hop, soul, and jungle. Benjamin’s lyrics in particular took on a more surreal, space-age tinge. At this time Benjamin took up the guitar and painting and became involved with singer Erykah Badu.
Outkast’s fourth album, Stankonia, saw Benjamin take on the new name of Andre 3000 (largely to distinguish himself from Dr. Dre) and increased the group’s crossover appeal with the single “Ms. Jackson”, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written in the aftermath of Benjamin’s breakup with Badu and was a fictionalized account of the disintegration of their relationship.
In 2001, Outkast released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast, which contained three new tracks. One track, “The Whole World”, won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Later that year, Benjamin participated in the Dungeon Family group album, which saw a number of prominent Atlanta-based hip-hop groups combine into a supergroup.
In 2003, Outkast released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album which highlighted the differences in the musical styles of the group’s two members. Benjamin’s half of the album, The Love Below, garnered the most attention from mainstream audiences, with the popular singles “Hey Ya!” and “Roses”. The album’s fourth single and video (Benjamin’s third), “Prototype”, was released shortly after. Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx spawned the #1 hit “The Way You Move” and the relatively successful “Ghetto Musick”. The Love Below was, unlike Speakerboxxx, an exercise in funk, jazz, and alternative music, featuring mostly sung (instead of rapped) vocals from Benjamin.
He returned to rapping in 2007, after a hiatus from the genre, appearing on various remixes, including: “Walk It Out”, “Throw Some D’s”, “You”, Jay-Z’s “30 Something”, and original songs such as UGK’s “International Players Anthem”, Devin the Dude’s “What A Job”, Fonzworth Bentley’s “Everybody”, and with big Big Boi “Royal Flush” and the leaked single “Lookin For Ya”. He also appeared on John Legend’s latest album, Evolver, on the track “Green Light”, which was released on October 28, 2008. Prior to the release, Benjamin commented: “It’s going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is—than people think John is. I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song.”

Where do I being to even start speaking about the goddess Nina Simone. Ok, Nina Simone just might be the most diverse female vocalist ever. Not just because of her vocal range which could go from sharp highs but also to very deep lows, almost sounding like men. But because of the emotion & emphasis which she sang her songs. Not many artists can come close to her diversity & musicianship. Her presence & legacy have inspired thousands who’ve come after her. Not just vocalists but instrumentalists, poets, & revolutionaries alike. For these reasons and many more Ms. Nina Simone is a true Light Bringer.

“I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.” Nina Simone

This is a promo video for the homie Cortez’s highly anticipated project titled “The Journey”. Cortez is one of the local MCs I truly respect so I’m happy to see him getting the love he deserves and droppin’ the tape.

Rebirth of The Griot is our first All-Age event and it has one of the illest musical line-ups we’ve put together so far. Not only will there be dope performances but also great food and a live art exhibit as well. Come through and enjoy the positive vibrations.

Yo! Me & The Fam are bringin’ one of the game’s illest groups to D.C.! We already throw the dopest hip-hop events in the city and this one is no different, make sure you’re in the building!

Hip-Hop: The Ex-Girlfriend

It seems there’s always some hip-hop purist “backpacker” complaining about how hip-hop’s not what is used to be. Someone’s always making claims that it’s “mainstream”, “ignorant” “materialistic” “lacking lyricism” and whatever else. In my opinion complaining about the current state of hip-hop is like complaining about an ex-girlfriend. She was great while you were with her but there is a reason why you and her aren’t together anymore right? Things change, times change, circumstances & people change. People complain about the Gucci Manes & Waka Flockas but have no idea that they deserve a place in hip-hop just as much as a Rakim, Talib Kweli or Jay-Z. I’ll explain that point more in detail.

For all who claim that the music has become materialistic, take a real look back at the early days of hip-hop. Half of the rappers we now consider legendary were some of the most thugged-out and materialistic dudes around. Half of those cats were criminals with heavy records who came from impoverished “uneducated” backgrounds and wore some of the biggest, most gaudy jewelry known to man. Many sold mass amounts of drugs & drove cars like BMW’s, Mercedes Benzes etc. If that doesn’t resemble some form of “ignorance” & “materialism” then what does? I’m not saying they were wrong for what they did, I’m just saying that what they were doing then & what many of us are doing now is STILL hip-hop. Truthfully, 20 years from now Gucci Mane could be considered a legend.

We complain that hip-hop has become too “Mainstream” but wasn’t that the point of all this. Hip-hop was created out of the necessity to bring the world information about what was taking place in the Black American community. Wouldn’t it be pointless if we were making all of this incredible music that no one was hearing? What’s the point of creating art if you want to be selfish and keep it to yourself? Hip-hop is an entity that cannot and could never be contained. We now have the eyes and ears of the world. We should capitalize on that fact, and use it, instead of being ungrateful.

If hip-hop were a school, I’d consider emcees like Rakim, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill and others to be its professors. Master Teachers if you will. I’ve learned more from the aforementioned emcees than I did in all my years of schooling. Though school is a privilege and a gift, no one wants to be stuck in a classroom all day. I love the lessons I learned from Lauryn Hill & Mos Def but, I can’t listen to those kinds of music all day. Life is about balance. Every school has its share of class clowns. I consider Gucci & Waka Flocka to be hip-hop’s class clowns. Being a former class clown myself I understand where they’re coming from. I believe emcees like them are meant to take the edge off & add some humor to the game. In actuality the humor they bring actually helps the lessons from Talib Kweli and others of the sort really sink in.

Basically, stop complaining about how imperfect you think hip-hop is and love it for what it’s become. Appreciate the fact that people from all walks of life have found a

This is one of the illest interviews I’ve seen from any iconic figure. Bob is my favorite all-around musicians, this interview helped to solidify that. Bob discusses Rastafari, the importance of marijuana in Rastafarian spirituality, Politics, the Media and of course Reggae.

This is arguably the best movie conversation of all-time. In my opinion HEAT is the best movie of the 1990′s. If you’ve seen it, you might agree. If you haven’t seen it, head to Netflix or somewhere & get this movie.

Mother Teresa was one of the brightest stars of the last 50 years. Not a star in the sense of fame or anything like that but, a star in the fact that she was a shining example of what one can do when fueled by genuine love and compassion for members of our human family. I was about 8 or 9 years old when she passed away but her memories & influence are still vivid in my mind. Mother Teresa was a prime example of a humanitarian and what we all, as human beings should strive to emulate. Mother Teresa, a true Light Bringer.

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Mother Teresa

Brief Bio: Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu[1] (pronounced [aɡˈnɛs ˈɡɔndʒe bɔjaˈdʒiu]), was a Catholic nun of Albanian[2][3] ethnicity and Indian citizenship,[4] who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.[5][6]
By the 1970s, she was internationally famed as a humanitarian and advocate for the poor and helpless, due in part to a documentary and book Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continued to expand, and at the time of her death it was operating 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children’s and family counselling programs, orphanages, and schools.
She has been praised by many individuals, governments and organizations; however, she has also faced a diverse range of criticism. These include objections by various individuals and groups, including Christopher Hitchens, Michael Parenti, Aroup Chatterjee, Vishva Hindu Parishad, against the proselytizing focus of her work including a strong stance against contraception and abortion, a belief in the spiritual goodness of poverty and alleged baptisms of the dying. Medical journals also criticised the standard of medical care in her hospices and concerns were raised about the opaque nature in which donated money was spent. In 2010 on the 100th anniversary of her birth, she was honoured around the world, and her work praised by Indian President, Pratibha Patil.[7]

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business–or almost anywhere else for that matter.” Lee Iacocca