Here it is, the groove, slightly transformed...
Word to Jazzy Jeff—it's summertime, god dammit! Here's to the weather finally getting right. Seattle loses its damn mind when the sun comes out: The air is full of tofu grill smoke and even the goths are playing volleyball.
Heads up to the 21 and over: Don't miss the Derby Liberation Front (of the infamous Rat City Rollergirls) Summer Hip Hop Extravaganza at El CorazĂłn, Thursday, June 29. The DLF have put together a helluva local showcase, celebrating the rich pageant of Seattle hiphop in all its multitudinous forms. With a bill composed of Unexpected Arrival, Macklemore, Grayskul, Cancer Rising, Rebelz, and Silent Lambs Project, this is the most varied lineup of quality local talent you're likely to see anytime soon. Vive le difference! Now maybe you didn't previously see the connection between beats, rhymes, and the brutal world of roller derby; shit, maybe you still won't, but it's bound to be a good time anyway.
Another good time could be had by listening to How the Grynch Stole Hiphop, the new mix tape from local cat Grynch and DJ Stylz. The title may be groan inducing, but check for the kid: He's going pretty hard on this one, alongside guests like Unexpected Arrival, Speedy Gonzales, Ricky Pharoe, and Macklemore.
These people that made us slaves, these niggas wavin' they flags/America ain't shit but home of the hot lick...
David Banner recently was awarded the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Humanitarian Award in Atlanta for his post-Katrina efforts. Contributing more than just a tossed-off controversial remark, the acid-tongued Dirty South MC raised over $500,000 for victims of the hurricane in New Orleans and his native Mississippi. Now, see how much press that gets.
You've probably heard by now, but Frédéric Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer Cristal, was quoted in The Economist expressing an apparent distaste for the hiphop crowd's, er, conspicuous patronage. "We can't forbid people from buying it," says Rouzaud. "I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business." In return, Jay-Z has spearheaded a boycott, stating, "I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands, including The 40/40 Club, nor in my personal life." Instead, 40/40-goers can cop a bottle of... Dom P or Krug. Way to strike a blow, Jiggaman.
Okay, harrumph—can we now get a moment of clarity here? If you are in the club spending your check on a bottle of Cris in the first place, you're a fucking idiot. Shit, if you're rich and buying the stuff, you're an idiot, too. These old motherfuckers can curse you and your whole race, and still gladly take your money, which you'll line up to hand over by the fistful. Then you'll go buy a string of diamonds dug out of the ground by Africans in horrifying conditions, and give an interview proclaiming yourself the "American Dream." Guess what, retard: You're right. The hiphop ideal of today is, sadly, an exact representation of real-deal Amerikkkan values. Gangsta!
