CULTURE SPEAKS: HARRISON RIDLEY JR.

Harrison Ridley Jr. (1938 (?) - February 19, 2009) was a teacher and broadcaster on African-American music.

Ridley taught music history at Temple University and Villanova University, he was the host of a Sunday night radio show on WRTI (90.1FM) entitled, "The Historical Approach to the Positive Music." The "historical approach" Ridley took was to focus in particular on one artist, and use his entire four-hour (8pm-12am) program to give the listener a sense of that artist's contribution to the tradition. Often he would focus on a specific period in an artist's career, such as early (1920s-1940s) Duke Ellington or Miles Davis recordings from the 1960s. The show ran for more than thirty years and was very popular in the Philadelphia area. Ridley would often reference the fact that his phone lines in the studio were full of calls--local jazz celebrities had been known to call in during a show as well.

Ridley was also a record collector and archivist. In the course of fifty years of collecting, he ammassed over 8,500 LPs, 3,000 78s, 200 45s, 300 CDs, and 6,000 books on African American history and music. He specialized in Duke Ellington albums (of which he had more than 600), and was also an expert on Benny Carter (he had 200 Benny Carter albums).[1

This definetley hit home for me..due to the fact he was my teacher during the late
90's at temple university. Harrison always took the time to answer questiones to the best of his knowledge, and gave in depth lessons in class that always had you walking away with something. To jump off the week we wanna start with a lil' musical education..with what harrison said was "classical music" jazz. If you feel it.. zone out to a john colrane throwback..



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CONTRIBUTION: THE LATE JAMES YANCEY

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006),[1] better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts like De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and Common."[2]

Yancey's career began slowly. He has now become highly regarded, most notably for the production of critically acclaimed albums by Common, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde. He was a member of Slum Village for their acclaimed debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2.[1]




The legacy of dilla is still in rotation in the hearts and minds of all he touched.
Below is a 2006 interview shortly before he died. But if he were here he would look back the same on the accomplishments he made and give thanks..that he had time to do what he did. Salute the legacy of J dilla. Lets all learn from his life.





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SPIRITUAL JOURNALISM: THE HUNGER FOR TRUTH

Thus its latter 2009. Seeing the strides and movements of industry artists throughout the last two years shows, as i noted before a great number of veterans taking more responsibility for their work. And in general perserving the arts themselves from the greed of capitalism, keeping the essense of music. We jump off the week with insight into the lives of some of these very artists. Many during the last several years exposed many truths, communicated the meaning and virtue of life, and sought their own spiritual groundation. Peep some examples..finally we showcase wu-tang's own rza discussing his transitions and views.



KRSONE

Gospel of Hip Hop comments
In an interview with AllHipHop about his book "The Gospel of Hip Hop", KRS-One said:

"I’m suggesting that in 100 years, this book will be a new religion on the earth... I think I have the authority to approach God directly, I don’t have to go through any religion [or] train of thought. I can approach God directly myself and so I wrote a book called The Gospel of Hip Hop to free from all this nonsense garbage right now. I respect the Christianity, the Islam, the Judaism but their time is up. ...In a hundred years, everything that I’m saying to you will be common knowledge and people will be like, 'Why did he have to explain this? Wasn’t it obvious?'"[9]

These comments have been referred to by numerous media outlets[10][11][12] such as the AV Club who comment that "KRS-One writes 600-page hip-hop bible; blueprint for rap religion"[13] and "KRS-One has never been afraid to court controversy and provoke strong reactions. Now the Boogie Down Productions legend has topped himself by writing The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument, a mammoth treatise on the spirituality of hip-hop he hopes will some day become a sacred text of a new hip-hop religion"[


LOON
Amir Junaid Muuhadith (born Chauncey Lamont Hawkins, June 20, 1975 in Harlem, New York) better known by his stage name Loon, is an African-American rapper formerly part of P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records, where he released his self-titled debut album, Loon. He has also made many guest appearances on songs of the R&B and hip hop genres. In 2004, Loon left Bad Boy to start his own label, Boss Up Entertainment. Loon started his music career as a member of Mase's rap collective Harlem World (group). Along with his music Loon has also been featured in two movies directed by Damon Dash, State Property 2 and Death of a Dynasty. Loon is a convert to Islam.

Born in a Christian family, Chauncey Lamont Hawkins changed his name to Amir Junaid Muhadith after converting to Islam. He recently traveled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest and most sacred site of the Islamic religion, to perform Umrah. He has since quit rapping and now is focusing on seeking knowledge and giving Da'wa

The RZA on TS
by yardie4lifever2

THE RZA ON HIS NEW BOOK THE TAO OF WU.

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UNTOLD STORY, HIDDEN CRIME: BLACK WALL STREET

One of the lost cities of america..and tragic stories swept under the rug of time.
The plight of african americans in this country is self explanitory. If you never heard of the greenwood tragedy..take the time to peep. They say the point of history is for it not to repeat itself. Tonights blog is dedicated the scars and struggles of any oppressed peoples. Greenwood.. you not forgotten...


One of the nation's worst acts of racial violence—the Tulsa Race Riot—occurred there on June 1, 1921, when 35 square blocks of homes and businesses were torched by mobs of angry whites.

The riot began because of an alleged assault of a white woman, Sarah Page, by an African American man, Dick Rowland. This incident produced even more hatred between the whites and the blacks even though there was no proof of the assault. The case was simply a white woman’s word against a black man’s word. The Tulsa Tribune got word of the incident and published the story in the paper on May 31, 1921. Shortly after the newspaper article surfaced, there was news that a white lynch mob was going to take matters into its own hands and kill Dick Rowland. [5]

African American men began to arm themselves and join forces in order to protect Dick Rowland; however, this action prompted white men to arm themselves and confront the group of African American men. There was an argument in which a white man tried to take a gun from a black man, and the gun fired a bullet up into the sky. This incident promoted many others to fire their guns, and the violence erupted on the evening of May 31, 1921. Whites flooded into the Greenwood district and destroyed the businesses and homes of African American residents. No one was exempt to the violence of the white mobs; men, women, and even children were killed by the mobs.

Troops were deployed on the afternoon of June 1st, but by that time there was not much left of the once thriving Greenwood district. Over 600 successful businesses were lost. Among these were 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores and two movie theaters, plus a hospital, a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law offices, a half-dozen private airplanes and even a bus system.[7] Property damage totaled $1.5 million (1921).[7] Although the official death toll claimed that 26 blacks and 13 whites died during the fighting, most estimates are considerably higher. At the time of the riot, the American Red Cross listed 8,624 persons in need of assistance, in excess of 1,000 homes and businesses destroyed, and the delivery of several stillborn -

sources wikipedia







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N.Y UNIVERSAL: THE COLLEGE MUSIC JOURNAL

College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company most famous for its annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30 lists sent by stations which subscribe at a cost of a few hundred dollars a year. It is also sent to record companies and their public relations and publicity representatives as well as record stores. CMJ also publishes CMJ New Music Monthly, a magazine with interviews, reviews, and special features.
SOURCES-WIKIPEDIA

Oct. 20- the 24 NYC resumed its annual college music marathon. As i heard this year was a success, with artists from all over showcasing their work. Both mainstream industry and underground. If you didnt make it peep some of the acts showcased.












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FERTILE CRESENT: NORTHEAST BRONX N.Y

THIS EXCLUSIVE BLOGSPOT FEATURE IS DEDICATED TO THE ARTISTS AND INDIVIDUALS/COLLECTIVES OUT OF THIS PARTICULAR SECTION OF N.Y.C.-
PEEP THE FORCES IMPACTING THE WORLD, AND INDUSTRY FROM MY HOMETOWN:

"THE FERTILE CRESCENT".

PREQUEL: THE PRODIGY-CHI-ALI GRIFFITH



"The Fabulous Chi-Ali" full-length dropped spring 1992, and was notable for two reasons: first, it would be the only LP Chi-Ali would ever release, and secondly, it marked the debut of the Beatnuts as a dominant production force. The highlights of "The Fabulous" are simple: the Beatnuts provide a hot beat, and Chi-Ali spits some hilariously high-pitched lyrics. Check out "Maniac Psycho" where Chi is a "14 year old lord on a skateboard/strangling suckers with mic chords" or the bordering-on-illegal ode to preteen sex on "In My Room." In fact, the Beatnuts don't drop a subpar track on here; from the slow thump of "Check My Record" to the spacey funk of "Roadrunner," the beats make Chi's squeaky lyrics tolerable

Like many groups, Chi was never able to release a follow-up LP. The rap world moved on, and people weren't checking for Chi-Ali's style anymore. Unfortunately, Chi's personal fortunes followed his rap career. After a series of dead-end jobs, Chi-Ali is accused of murdering a man in the Bronx in a dispute over $300 on February 14th, 2000.

It's hard to believe Chi-Ali, dancing happily in his videos, would end up a murderer. But before he joined Steady B as the butt of many jokes, Chi dropped a solid album, gained the adoration of thousands of preteen girls, and helped put the Beatnuts on. Ultimately, the latter was his greatest contribution to hip-hop.

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I. SEAN NELSON


Nelson was born in the Co-Op City section of Bronx, New York, of Jamaican/St. Thomian descent.[citation needed] He began his acting career at age 10 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway play Hey Little Walter. Sean Nelson turned 13 shortly before beginning principal photography on his debut film, writer-director Boaz Yakin's "Fresh" (1994). Prior to that, he had made his TV debut in a 1992 episode of the NBC series Here and Now and appeared off-Broadway in a production of "Hey Little Walter" at Playwrights Horizons, but neither of these efforts presaged the impressive performance to come in "Fresh". Though he had little dialogue as the savvy Brooklyn street kid who works after school as a drug runner, Nelson appeared in practically every scene, garnering rave notices for his harrowing portrait of an incredibly resourceful, tragically deprived child who applies the rules of chess to real life. A blank slate most of the time, Fresh finally cracks after enacting retribution against the system destroying the lives of those he loves. This haunting last image of lost innocence, shattered by the carnage he has precipitated, is what stayed with audiences, serving notice that this was an actor to watch.
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II. BIG TIGGER



Morgan grew up in Co-op City and played basketball at the Bellamy Loop courts in section 4. He started out working as a DJ at the radio station WERQ, 92Q in Baltimore, Maryland, but his road to success began a few years earlier. While attending the University of Maryland, College Park, he interned at Washington D.C. radio station WPGC 95.5 FM. At WPGC, Morgan worked alongside popular host Albie Dee and was promptly recognized for his ambition and charisma. His college internship evolved into a flourishing career. Soon Morgan, with his innovative freestyles, gained popularity on night radio. When the Bronx native returned to New York City in 2001, he departed D.C. as the highest rated, six-year undefeated nighttime radio champion.[1]

He entered the television scene on voiceovers for BET in 1996, while still working the radio circuit. Within a year, fans were watching him on-camera, on Rap City's "Hip Hop News," and he advanced to become the co-host of Rap City in its tenth season, alongside Big Lez and Joe Clair. BET then changed the shows format, and Morgan became the lone emcee. He hosted the show from 1999–2005, before being replaced by Mad Linx.

Morgan hosted the BET shows 106 & Park until July 7, 2006 and BET Style until its final episode on July 6, 2006. Morgan also hosted numerous episodes of BET: Uncut. He also began rapping in 2003, when he was featured on R. Kelly's song "Snake". He is featured on a hidden track on Ginuwine's album The Senior. Additionally, every weekend, Morgan hosts Live In Tha Den with Big Tigger, a syndicated radio show. He replaced Star and Buc Wild with a temporary morning show, Live With Tigger with Egypt & Donnell Rawlings. On his show Live In the Den, hip hop stars such as Jay-Z have made guest appearances.
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III. JUS' ROLLE


Born and raised in Eastchester Projects, in the birth place of Hip-Hop, The Bronx, New York, Jus Rolle (Ro-Lay) established his love for music at the early age of seven when he first began developing his style of rhyme and performance on and off the streets. He has nurtured his style into a diverse, dynamic and unique sound that enabled him to perform in local neighborhood shows in and around the Bronx, to shows in Albany, DC, Atlanta, Miami, Virginia and LA. Jus has graced the stages of high school auditoriums to concert halls and arenas, which led him to performing in various shows with major artists across the country. Jus’ style has been widely recognized by many experienced individuals in the music industry including producers such as Soul Diggaz, who have produced records for Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliot. Charlemagne with production for Jay-Z, Talib Kweli and the Notorious B.I.G., as well as Brandon Howard, who has credited tracks for Gerald Levert, Ney- Yo, Lupe Fiasco and Marques Houston. Look up the true definition of the word Grind, and you will see Jus Rolle’s picture all over it. He is one of the hardest working unsigned artist with the passion to rise to the top of his career, and that was proven when Ralph McDaniels of Video Music Box and Hot 97 named Jus Rolle as the Grind Artists of the Month.


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V. CLAP COGNAC/TEAM PAPER $OLDIERS


One of N.E bronx's leading artist's, clap's resume has extended tremendously. He has hit stages throughout the tri-state area and abroad. His witty and sharp delivery remain street conscious, and socially conscious of the world around him. He still hold to spiritual and economic principle as he navigate through the dog eat dog music industry. One of the greatest minds of northeast bx..fth city, welcome to the world of clap cognac.

TEAM PAPER $OLDIERS LLC




A collective of artists/producers N.E bronx(specifically sec 5 co-op city)
consisting of clap cognac,quickdraw,brigante,JK,teflon the X factor, silent murder,
killamessiah(noted producer of lloyd banks "the raw") krysiz kahn and a host of other associates, and conglamorates as Ress Connected, silent rounds(new rochelle) Angreemen Ent., Dj superstar J, and Dj Fiyaa. With the collectives based in streets genre, these brothers put together entrepenual visions, along with creative instinct
to accomplish their goals. Overstanding the harsh realities of urban life, allow paper $oilders to tell the story through the industry to the world.



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VI. ZION ANTONI


Hailing from N.E bronx, via washington heights Aritist/freelance writer/musician/producer Zion antoni honed his crafts from an early age. Coming from a african-american/costa-rican household, He was exposed to many different genre's of music. Living off the urban-experience from childhood to adulthood, aquiring knowlegde in adverse times, staying true to his spiritual and concrete roots, also hailing from the lccg family which includes paper $oldiers and noted afiliates, he discoverd through many harsh trials and tribulations his purpose was to communicate a spiritually conscious world view to the masses..having its roots in urban life. Through media, writing, non-profit works, activism such as mentoring at-risk youth, and music, he seeks to communicate a better consciousnes to the people in perilous times to preserve life. Often through the crucibles of his own life. He is often implementing and addressing urban issues, at work in non-profit movements, and communicating a spiritually conscious world view on an international circuit, to all walks of life.




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VII.JAYONEZ/MONEYSHOTFILMS



A prolific film/music production company ran by engineer/artist/film director Jayonez, has been expanding borders throught N.Y.C and abroad. Working with artists both mainstream and underground, the film company has been praised and noted for its professional quality and prolific video editing production. Check the exclusives and the high quality of CEO jayonez work.




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VIII. BRONXRAP.COM/HOODHOLLYWOOD.COM




One of the leading blogspots on the net..first debut as Bronxrap.com, took the internet by storm with many hits, active members, and developing as an internet social site. Now with revisions they are Hoodhollywood.com, run by "L" and Dj voltron, with its foundations in "fifth city" NY- section 5 co-op city. Catch all the news, videos and latest industry and community information.

WWW.HOODHOLLYWOOD.COM





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MINORITY GENOCIDE:REALITY VS. ENTERTAINMENT

Another week in october, jumpin' off this week with a term i call "minority genocide". In recent years in working in my career, in my studies i discoverd that in the music industry, ranging from all genres, but notably in hiphop/rap, that the highest production/distribution bred, and reflected one thing...DEMISE. In living in philadelphia after seeing countless youth die, and even good friends, i found poor class to middle, even rich developed a way of life the killed three ways..through the toungue, drugs, and the sword. Not only in urban social structures, but any society if you take away spiritual and moral fiber, the principle is your gonna have a decaying people.. altogether. The very vices and lack of standard will strip a society down to savage...clean. Granted there is entertainment.. but not everybody know the difference, they say art imitate life, but not everybody is ready for the two to run too close together. For real. Know yourself, know your environment, and the role the media, industry, and entertainment plays in relation to you. Food for thoughtz..peep a dose of reality from 94'...-




<Robert "Yummy" Sandifer (March 12, 1983 – September 1, 1994) garnered national attention in September 1994 after his murder by fellow gang members. He appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in September 1994.[1]

Nicknamed Yummy because of his love of junk food, Sandifer was a young member of the Chicago street gang the Black Disciples. After committing murder, arson and armed robbery, he was executed by fellow gang members who feared he could be turned snitch. Coverage of Sandifer's death and retrospectives on his short, violent life were widely published in the American media, and Sandifer became a symbol of the gang problem in American inner cities, the failure of social safety netting, and the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system. -SOURCES WIKIPEDIA

The story of "yummy" sandifer, although sevaral years published nationwide, im sure had an effect on the generation of that time. And possibly saved many from destruction. Thus its 2009, another generation in american inner cities. This the time of harvest, and seedtime, planting seeds to perserve a people, and posterities. Yummy's life is still relevant today, perfect timing to blog this throwback, in the words of my dude k.mercer, lets not forget...

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Below is a 2 part interview with artist "Maino", discussing his own life, industry exploitation, and realites behind the glamour. Do your math, everythin' aint always what it seem, although riches is the goal in a capitalistic society, money and fame dont always equal happiness..salute maino for speakin the real...


PART.I

PART.II


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