Coup D’Etat BK is a lifestyle brand where the lifestyle is all about creating the life you imagine for yourself.
I chatted up RASU and DAOUD who founded the brand and we also politicked with a few other BK heads during a beautiful night in Prospect Park.
Peace to Lyricist Lounge & Danny Castro, Brian Deka Paupaw, legendary emcee Craig G, John Black, Nat Dixon, Myanta, all the internets and of course, Brooklyn.
Big Daddy Kane’s homecoming in Prospect Park was all that and a bag of salt & vinegar chips.
Kane’s energy and showmanship have not waned in the twenty plus years that he has been a member of the mighty Juice crew.
And speaking of the Juice Crew… When we heard Masta Ace was in the building it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that the ‘Symphony’ would be performed. We weren’t disappointed. To close the show Big Daddy Kane brought out Scoob and Scrap. This was Hip-Hop in every sense of the artform.
Shouts to Combat Jack for holding down the a seat for the kid in the BK VIP section.
Blitz Ambassador was a revelation for a lot of folks at the Prospect Park bandshell this past Saturday. Along with his backing band, the Embassy Ensemble, Blitz the Ambassador reminded us why we love this Hip-Hop artform so much.
Blitz doesn’t just possess supreme mic skills, but he has the timing necessary to be one of the great emcees of all time. Get familiar with Blitz the Ambassador. He’s got next.
Blitz the Ambassador – On My Mixtape Sh*t
MEL D. COLE is the world’s most dangerous photographer…
Every week the Roots Jam Session features surprise guests that put their talents on display along with the mighty musicianship of the Roots themselves. During this residency there have been some stellar performances from great artists and some veteran artists have looked like rookies up on stage.
That was the case on Tuesday when JANELLE MONAE thought she had killed the crowd and prior to walking off the stage she simply dropped the microphone. I understand that Ms.MONAE is touring with ERYKAH BADU and she might be accruing some of the diva tendencies that BADU is known for, but in all my years of seeing BADU perform I have never seen her drop a microphone in the vicinity of Black Thought.
Let me also say that I have never seen anyone have a grip on the mic as tight as TARIQ either. For you to come to the Jam Session and share the stage with this brother you should be happy that you even have the opportunity to work with him. But to drop the mic and walk off as if you just tore down the stage with your little raps was foolishness. JANELLE MONAE is dope as hell but she ain’t no BADU and ERYKAH ain’t no Black Thought.
Memo to JANELLE MONAE: Smarten’ up lil’ darling, it’s how you’ll get over.
Remember when everyone in rap music was down with the ‘Bloods’ streetgang except Snoop. That shit drove me fucking bananas. I know all these dudes aren’t banging on other dudes [ll]. I mean, sure some of these rap dudes are banging other dudes but… I digress.
There was this little vignette in time when Lil’ Wayne, Juelz Santana, Game, Fat Joe and a few other rap stars were claiming the Blood set. Since I’m on this whole SlaughterHouse x rap vampire shit this week I thought I could keep shit popping with the ‘blood’ theme. Where has all the love in mainstream rap music gone for gang culture?
Someone in the recording industrial complex decided that rappers with a jail stint on their resume were more marketable than say, someone who managed to accomplish nothing while in his parent’s basement for the past 10 years. Even if the dude in jail ended up spending his time as a MayTag. This turned out to be a very poor marketing strategy as opposed to say, simply producing great music.
No one has more street cred than Detroit’s Trick Trick. No one will also have more unpurchased albums in the Auburn Hills BestBuy. The days of gimmicky artist programs has hopefully wound itself down in the label offices. Lyrics have returned to the top of the heap. KanYe is murdering every single feature he touches. Raekwon is going to punch everyone in the mouth and SlaughterHouse is, well, SlaughterHouse.
Just because rappers have stopped espousing the rotating prison door lifestyle doesn’t mean that we don’t have a generation of Black and Brown youth dealing with those realities on the daily because they thought that this would be the way they would a) become adults, b) develop courage and c) achieve their dream of being in the music business. Most of these kids will never know the doors that have been shut to them because they have been to jail.
Gang culture going out of style in rap music makes sense to me because rap is so much a part of American pop culture that all trends are recucled and re-sold constantly. There hasn’t been a decline in young people going to jail though. Poverty in America is still the first and foremost creator for crime and decay. The idea that kids will be joining the ranks of the Bloods and Crips less isn’t the answer.
Kids will just create a group that mirrors their values and matches whatever cartoon they are watching. Trust me on that one. The damage that was needed to be completed has been set up. See how many of your friends will come under the control of the government (state property) if they aren’t already. In the meanwhile, the youngest listeners and viewers are being visually programmed to wear their kid sister’s dungarees (no Kid Sister).
Wu-Tang NEVER told me to go to jail.
Wu-Tang is for the kids.
