Tag Archives: Hip Hop History

Public Enemy’s Chuck D To Define Hip Hop In Four-Part PBS Special

January 19, 2022 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

According to a post on his verified Instagram account, Public Enemy founder Chuck D will be featured in the PBS docuseries The Story of Hip-Hop with Chuck D, tracing Hip Hop and its humble roots back to its South Bronx origins in 1973.

“The Hip Hop community has, from the start, been doing what the rest of media is only now catching up to,” Chuck D said. “Long before any conglomerate realized it was time to wake up, Hip Hop had been speaking out and telling truths. Working with PBS and BBC is an opportunity to deliver these messages through new ways and help explain Hip Hop’s place in history and hopefully inspire us all to take it further.”

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ICYMI: August 11 is Officially Recognized as “Hip Hop Celebration Day”

August 8, 2021 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

The culture of Hip-Hop can now be honored on a national level. On July 29, the U.S Senate passed a bill that will recognize August 11 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day.”

According to the Senate Periodical Press Gallery, Senate Resolution 331, which is the official bill that is designated to “Hip Hop Celebration Day,” and will celebrate the day that most Hip-Hop historians believe to be Hip-Hop’s birthday.

By unanimous consent, the Senate passed S.Res.331 (A resolution designating August 11, 2021, as ‘‘Hip Hop Celebration Day’’, designating August 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop Recognition Month’’, and designating November 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop History Month’’)

— Senate Periodicals (@SenatePPG) July 30, 2021

The bill that Senators created has Hip-Hop history correct as it includes the factual story of how the genre was birthed.

The Bill reads, “Whereas, on Aug. 11, 1973, at a Back To School Jam organized by his sister Cindy Campbell and held at the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York, Clive DJ Kool Herc Campbell introduced his innovative style of disk jockeying and, together with the master of ceremonies engaging the crowd with rap on the microphone while partygoers known as B-boys and B-girls danced, introduced a new style. Later known as Hip Hop, which combined the elements of a disk jockey (commonly known as a DJ), a master of ceremonies (commonly known as an MC), music, art, fashion, and dance.”

Senate Resolution 331, also recognizes recognizing the month of August as “Hip-Hop Recognition Month” and establishes November as “Hip-Hop History Month.”

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August 11 is Officially Recognized as “Hip Hop Celebration Day”

August 3, 2021 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

The culture of Hip-Hop can now be honored on a national level. On July 29, the U.S Senate passed a bill that will recognize August 11 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day.”

By unanimous consent, the Senate passed S.Res.331 (A resolution designating August 11, 2021, as ‘‘Hip Hop Celebration Day’’, designating August 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop Recognition Month’’, and designating November 2021 as ‘‘Hip Hop History Month’’)

— Senate Periodicals (@SenatePPG) July 30, 2021

The bill that Senators created has Hip-Hop history correct as it includes the factual story of how the genre was birthed.

Senate Resolution 331, also recognizes recognizing the month of August as “Hip-Hop Recognition Month” and establishes November as “Hip-Hop History Month.”

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2Pac’s Prison Letter to Madonna Will Go Up For Auction Starting at $100K

July 12, 2019 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

Tupac Shakur and Madonna shared a lot in common on both a professional and personal level (see: “Madonna MC: 10 Times Madame X Flexed Her Hip-Hop Cred“), so much so that Pac was driven to write a letter to Madonna during his highly-publicized stint in prison back in 1995. Now, following the pop queen’s failed attempt to appeal the sale of it last month, that letter will now go to auction for a starting price set in the six figures.

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One of the most significant music artifacts to ever come to auction. This handwritten love letter from Tupac Shakur to Madonna is being offered at auction for the first time ever. This now famous, extremely personal, three-page handwritten and signed letter was written by Tupac Shakur to Madonna from prison. Tupac addressed the letter to “M”, dated it, “Jan 15 1995, 9:30 A.M.” and signed it “Always, 2PAC, Tupac Shakur” in black ink on lined paper. The deep connection between Tupac and Madonna is seen throughout the letter. He writes about their relationship in terms of race and celebrity status, and how societal norms affect their relationship, writing “I must apologize to you. Because like you said I haven’t been the kind of friend I know I am capable of being. Not because I am evil or because you weren’t worthy but at the risk of sounding over dramatic, the effects of racism make it difficult for a young black man to properly show affection for an older white woman.” He further writes about his fears about his own death, which he feared would come soon, writing, “If there is any information you can share with me regarding Jack & crew please do it could very well be a matter of live & death”. The letter is going up for sale in less than a week on July 17th! Register now, link in bio! #gottahaverockandroll #tupacfan #tupacfans #tupac #tupacnews #2pacnews #madonna #madonnanews #madonnamemorabilia #madonnacollection #madonnacollector #madonnacollectors #tupacmemorabilia #tupacshakur #2pac #2pacvideos #news #rapnews #auctionnews #entertainmentnews #memorabilia #rapmemorabilia #musicmemorabilia #rockmemorabilia #auction #onlineauction #onlineauctions #rockauction #rapauction

A post shared by Gottahaverockandroll (@gottahaverockandroll) on Jul 11, 2019 at 12:06pm PDT

Tupac wrote this “love letter” during January 1995, a month after he and Charles Fuller had been convicted on rape charges and incarcerated with a multimillion-dollar bail. The three-page note reads very apologetic, mainly because it’s pretty much a “can-we-just-be-friends”-style break-up letter. One of the most prominent points he makes about needing the break came down to race unsurprisingly enough. He writes, “…at the risk of sounding over dramatic, the effects of racism make it difficult for a young black man to properly show affection for an older white woman. Can U understand that?[sic]” He goes on to state that the idea of them basically being a ’90s power couple, him being a West Coast Rap King and her being the Queen of Pop, would’ve made her seem “open & exciting” while making him look as if he’s “letting down” the rap community that uplifted him to that status in the first place. The emotional note is clearly a stamp of decades-old music history, but whether or not it evades the privacy of two pop icons, or if its even worth the minimum of $100,000 USD overall, is still up for debate.

The auction for Tupac’s love note (i.e. “friendzone letter”) to Madonna will go live starting next Wednesday (July 17) over on GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com. Hear the duo’s unreleased remix of her ‘Bedtime Stories‘ album cut “I’d Rather Be Your Lover” below:

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The Notorious B.I.G.’s Childhood Apt in Clinton Hill Is Now a $4K-Per-Month 3BR Rental

June 24, 2019 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

As the neighborhood of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn gathered a few weeks ago to honor The Notorious B.I.G. by officially renaming his old block as Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace Way, it now looks like you’ll be able to actually live like the King of Brooklyn by renting the old apartment he famously rapped about on “Juicy.”

(03/18/1997) An unforgettable moment during The Notorious B.I.G.’s funeral procession, as the undisputed King of Brooklyn is driven through his old Clinton Hill neighborhood one last time.
Image: Todd Maisel

The residence at 226 Saint James Place has been upgraded entirely since the days of it being a “one-room shack,” now boasting three bedrooms, a common roof deck, a library/den, common laundry and a bike room amongst other amenities.

Here’s how the full listing is described on compass.com, which unfortunately excludes any reference to its legendary former tenant:

“Amazing furnished three-bedroom home with additional den/office and separate dining room with best light is now available for rent in the desired neighborhood of Clinton Hill historic district.The limestone eight-unit condominium prewar building was recently renovated and maintains gorgeous pre-war details, like hardwood floors and high ceilings, The kitchen has been has granite countertops, stainless appliances and lots of storage. This home also features a windowed dining room and a spacious southeast facing living room with an additional office. The building offers laundry, bike storage, and a common garden with plantings and barbecue area . One block from the subway and convenient to shops, restaurants and all Clinton Hill has to offer. Sorry No pet.”

For the 972 square foot apartment that The Notorious B.I.G once called home, the listing is asking for $4,000 per month. Grab two of your most trusted rap fiend friends and you’ll be “living better now” in no time. Just make sure to pass the credit check.

Take a look below to see if shacking up in a piece of Hip-Hop history is worth the monthly rent:

Images: compass.com

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Today in Hip Hop History: Scarface Drops His Compilation LP ‘Balls and My Word’ 16 Years Ago

April 8, 2019 ItsHipHop Leave a comment

Since beginning his solo career in 1990 while still serving as a core member of the Geto Boys, rap legend Scarface has always been tied to the 1983 classic crime film of the same name. While always embodying a certain kingpin status in the rap game, similar to the way Tony Montana had things on lock in his fictitious 1980s Miami setting, the rapper knew how to separate his real life from the one Oliver Stone created for Al Pacino. That all changed with the album cover and opening sample on Balls and My Word, Scarface’s second compilation LP released by Rap-A-Lot Records 16 years ago today.

Rap-A-Lot Records

Released just six months after his first Greatest Hits album in 2002, Balls and My Word sounded more like a “greatest hits you’ve never heard” record. Unreleased cuts from past projects are pieced together for this project, including the title track which was pulled from Geto Boys’ obscure 1988 debut album Making Trouble. Even though some of the tracks here are borrowed from Face’s prior discography — standout cut “Make Your Peace” shares some similarities to “Heaven” off his 2002 Def Jam South debut The Fix — the raps, production and overall content are right on the money and are seamlessly structured to where you can’t immediately tell that these aren’t new.

The album didn’t come without it’s controversies though. As mentioned before, Scarface was rolling with Def Jam by the time this record dropped, and actually had nothing to do with it altogether. Balls and My Word was primarily handled by Rap-A-Lot CEO J. Prince while Scarface was serving as head of opps at Def Jam South, and as a result the project didn’t really get the shine it could’ve gotten if the guy on the cover was actually promoting it. However, the LP did manage to reach top 20 on the Billboard 200 and included features from vets like Devin the Dude and Bun B. The latter artist appears on the album’s most controversial cut “Bitch Nigga,” which features Houston rapper Z-Ro throwing what many reported at the time to be shots at 2002’s biggest MC at the time, 50 Cent.

Ultimately, while it wasn’t a successful cash grab for Prince and Rap-A-Lot, neither did it birth a hit single as catchy as “My Block” or classic as the Kanye-produced track “Guess Who’s Back” featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, Balls and My Word had some great moments strictly because it’s filled with rare Face records. What more could you ask for as a hardcore Hip-Hop fan?

Give Balls and My Word by Scarface a full spin above as we celebrate it on the 16th anniversary of its release, and let us know your favorite cuts by hitting us on Facebook and Twitter!

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