Each year during Hiphop Appreciation Week we fokus on a particular theme. Last year's was "Communication. " This year our fokus is "Empowerment."
Once again we reached out to some of our kulture's Originators and Innovators and asked them to say a few words on this year's theme of "Empowerment..."
"Empowerment means once youve been given the power of communication,
through the culture of Hip Hop, you are now responsible for your
people, your audience, and your culture. It is not about showbiz! True
its a result of making music and visuals and or product, but the most
important thing about being able to be considered "Hip Hop" is the
POWER of communication! To make it more understandable, "Run Dmc
crashed thru walls and came thru floors, bust thru ceilings and knocked
down doors!"....BUT...we left the doors open and allowed others to
follow, thus empowering ALL affected, inspired, motivated and educated
by what we were doing. We did not close the door behind us and base the
existanceof us or others on selfish standards thus leaving others
helpless and powerless. The music and moves im making even today, like
the ones i did with Run Dmc are not just for me. All Hip Hop is done to
empower EVERYBODY! One thing done leads to another being able to do
something, and what i do gives me the power to enable the next to have
power and then also pass it on. Nowadays it seems like the power stops
at the end of some selfish individual who wants all the power to
himself as opposed to having a powerful culture. Power to the People!"
DMC is currently working on a movie entitled "Deliver My Children" w/ Rob Garris. Watch for the album, "Heaven up in Hollis" featuring Johnny Juice, Bumpy Knuckles, KRS-One, Chuck D, Travis Barker, Sebastian Bach, and others and Don't Miss the King of Rock Tour!
"The God within me empowers me to be the best that I can be with a sound
mind to live the right way. He has given me a conscious to truly know
right from wrong without question & to not perpetuate it through
this art form known to us as hip hop.The best way for Hip Hop
cats and I mean tru blu to the soul hip hop cats to empower others is
to be empowered themselves. To have peace within themselves and not
allow negativity to influence their beliefs or decisions in spite of
opportunities to go the wrong way because it may be aight for a
minute... Those who do so tend to end up paying for it for the rest of
their lives by having to justify their actions to someone younger later
knowing that they were wrong for doing what they had chosen to do."
Some of the tracks that give me peace would be:
Ribbon in The Sky by Stevie Wonder
I ain't no Joke (Eric B & Rakim)
Me myself and I (De La Soul)
Unity & Wrath of My Madness (Queen Latifah)
I'm Black & I'm Proud (James Brown)
Mercy Mercy Me & What's Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Jericho (Mahalia Jackson)
One Love, DJ Slice, Zulu Nation/Cr8Kickers/SoundBwoi Killaz
Be on the lookout for the SoundBwoi Killaz album to be dropping in June!!!!
"HIP HOP IN IT SELF IS EMPOWERING,DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE CREATED OUR OWN REALITY. WE AS A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE TOOK WHAT WE HAD AND MADE A CULTURE THAT HAS MOTIVATED THE WORLD.HIP HOP HAS PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND MEASURE.THE EMPOWERMENT THAT THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WAS SUPPOSE TO PROVIDE AND CREATE HAS BEEN EMBODIED IN THIS THING WE CALL HIP HOP.THE TENANTS OF THIS CULTURE HAS BROUGHT ALL THESE RACES OF PEOPLE TOGETHER OPENED UP THE DOORS FOR CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.HIP HOP IS OUR GOD GIVING NATURAL RESOURCE THAT WE CREATED OUT OF A WILL TO WANT TO DO BETTER IN LIFE AND THATS EMPOWERMENT."
- AKIL The MC of JURASSIC 5
Be on the Lookout for Akil's Solo Projekts, "My Collection of Expressions," an EP, Dropping this Summer as a prelude to his album (currently untitled) slated for release in September. Don't miss the New Movement and Crew "Skill District" LAUSD Los Angeles Unified Skill District.
Akil is also working with his sons, The JMC's (Junior Mic Conrollaz) and doing shows all around the globe, "I HOLD
IT DOWN BY MY OWN SELF ON STAGE."
Stay tuned! -We will be adding to this post as HHAW moves forward!!!
About HipHop Appreciation Week:
Every 3rd Week in May The Temple of Hiphop observes "Hiphop Appreciation Week."
Founded
by "The Teacha" KRS-One in 1998, "Hiphop Appreciation Week" serves as
"a time set aside to assess the progress of the 'conscious' Hip Hop
movement as well as one's own role within such a movement."
The
rise of popular rap music to the point that it has taken over as the
prevailing "pop" music in the world today has only lead to further
confuse and misinform the masses as to the true nature of Hiphop
Kulture.
Some of you may be familiar with the phrase,
"Rap is Something You DO... Hiphop is Something You LIVE."
This,
perhaps, is the concept most central to the heart of "Hiphop
Appreciation Week." When we, collectively and individually, stop seeing
Hiphop as something outside of ourselves that we can not affect to any
significant degree and start TAKING RESPONSIBILITY for ourselves and
our kulture, only then, will we begin to see manifest the change that
we wish to see.
What do YOUR actions and words tell the world about Hiphop Kulture?
Are
you accurately portraying it's true nature or is your behaviour only
serving to reinforce stereotypes and support misinformation.
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