TAG: youth

May16

Some Further Thoughts on Goblin

Tyler the Creator, frontman of L.A. hip-hop convoy OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), won’t admit to it but I’m sure he understands his audience to be predominantly white, suburban, indie-teens-in-training. Let’s try to keep that in mind here, now that there seems to be a somewhat recognizable consensus on Tyler the Creator’s second full-length album and first major label release, Goblin on XL Records. From where I’m standing it seems like folks are a bit dissatisfied. Granted there hasn’t been too many local hip-hop acts with this kind of trajectory since the astronomical rise of Lupe Fiasco, the quizzical introduction of Wiz Khalifa and others, this record leaves a lot to be desired. The album is choppy, draining, and quite lengthy. Some of the standout tracks (“Yonkers” and “Sandwitches”) on the record feel somewhat superfluous since they’ve …

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Jan12

Hip Hop Congress Reaching Cincinnati’s Youths

Hip-hop is a culture. And the root of any culture is to cultivate. 

Even the U.S. president claims to have hip-hop on his iPod. And as hip-hop has moved into the cultural mainstream, Hip Hop Congress has moved into the political mainstream, too. One of the largest hip-hop organizations in the country, this collective of artists, educators and community leaders is now stepping into a new role as a respected political force in their communities. Cincinnati’s chapter of the Hip Hop Congress is a particularly good example of what Hip Hop Congress is doing. Operations are located in a neighborhood that became the epicenter of racially charged riots following the police shooting of Timothy Thomas, an unarmed black man. But with the help of Hip Hop Congress, it is becoming an important part of the revitalization process. URB checked in with chapter leader Hakiym Sha’ir to see what’s up a year after Obama’s inauguration.

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