Uh oh...

After viewing this video short (courtesy of Forbez DVD), those were the first words to fling out of my mouth. We know about the tunes from the 80's when KRS-ONE of Boogie Down Productions mentioned the greats of early Hip-Hop from the Bronx in the 1970's who helped form the genre. Then went on to say "So you say that Hip-Hop had it's start out in Queens Bridge....if you pop that junk up in the Bronx you might not live..." on "South Bronx". Now the question is going to be asked worldwide (i'm sure) about where Hip-Hop REALLY started. As with other histories, after so much time and documentation, soon there is someone or some group to challenge the information. Then you have to come to an agreement suitable to all parties involved, which leads to the history books being re-written. Peep the video....

Chiggity-Check Yourself....Before You Wreck Yourself

James Brown and the JB's said it best, "Talkin' loud....and sayin' nothin'...". This is the case for many mainstream rappers and R&B singers these days. Yet they have the nerve to have huge egos to go along w/ sh-stuff I should put on side of the streets for the garbage man to collect. Anywho, here's a post about one of the biggest egos in mainstream, taken from Yahoo! on Kanye West. You can read more about the story here: Kanye West says 'South Park' put him in check. I hate I missed the show last night to get a good laugh at the expence of this idiot. But I can surely imagine how it was, since i'm a huge fan of the show.

R.I.P. to Tony D

The Hip-Hop community has lost another great. Anthony Depula, 42, known as "Tony D" and "Harvee Wallbanger" of Trenton, NJ, made his transition on Saturday evening April 4th after losing control of his vehicle and crashing, leaving him w/ severe neck injuries. Read the story here: The Times (NJ). Tony D is responsible for producing tracks for groups like Poor Righteous Teachers, Blaque Spurm, King Sun, YZ, Crusaders For Real Hip-Hop, and others, as well as producing his own albums. There were also reports of him being the producer for "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature, and tracks for Heavy D, that he didn't recieve credit for, although the matters were settled out of court. For those reading this post, please take a moment of silence in honor of one we have lost. PEACE!

Happy Birthday Marvin

On April 2, 1939, Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., known to the world as Marvin Gaye was born in Washington, D.C. In the 50's, Marvin was part of a "doo-wop" group called The Moonglows formed by Harvey Fuqua in Washington, D.C. Along w/ doing their own music, he and the group also sang background vocals on Chuck Berry & Etta James records. The Moonglows hit record was titled "The Twelve Months of the Year". In 1959, Marvin sang his first lead w/ the group on "Mama Loochie".

After the Moonglows disbanded in 1960, Harvey Fuqua took Marvin to Detroit where he was signed to Anna Records (Gwen Gordy), then later signed to Tamla Records, a subsidiary of Motown Records under Berry Gordy, where he was a session drummer for much of the artists signed to Motown and co-wrote several songs. Marvin and Berry clashed over music for him to record, though Berry's sister Anna (Marvin's girlfriend) helped to convince him to let Marvin record a standard album.

While at Motown, Marvin added an "e" to the last part of his name to imitate his idol Sam Cooke, who did the same thing w/ his last name. Marvin Gaye later went on to record several solo albums under Motown/Tamla, as well as record a few duets w/ Kim Weston and Mary Wells. His most memorable duets were w/ Tammi Terrell, who he recorded 3 albums w/ and produced several hits in the late 60's. Marvin Gaye recorded and released more than 25 albums, which includes duet albums.

1984 was an explosive year for many artists in the music industry. However, on April 1st, one day before his 45th birthday, Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father. News of his death had the industry and fans in shock and at a standstill. Diana Ross and many others after her have done tributes to Marvin in their music and art.

Today, I pay tribute to the greatest voice, also known as the "Prince of Motown" and the "Prince of Soul"....Mr. Marvin Gaye. Happy Birthday!