I guess I'm writing this essay partially because I need to restore the faith in the music I love so much. A lot of what you will see written are my opinions others will be well researched facts, and other information. These are my essays on hip-hop:


Being a musician and a writer, I consider myself an artist. With that said, I believe I have reasonability to not compromise my artistry or myself. Often times when we look at history artist have had the responsibility of exposing society to itself.

Which sometimes would mean telling people things they don't wanna hear. Some would say telling them that ugly truth, that makes you angry for no other reason than it is.

And at times when one is the messenger of that truth the receiver can take it as a personal attack. When nothing (sometimes) could be farther from the truth. Usually the art is about the artist personal experience first and if others relate to it, and if a truth is reveled it is purely serendipitous occurrence.

But then sometimes artist can be struck back for telling the truth. Cuz sometimes people flat out don't want to hear it! So they in essence "kill the messenger"

I think, this is what we have witnessed in mainstream hip-hop over the past decade. A genre of music that was once esoteric has now become a major channel in the mainstream of media. Everybody knows most people don't want the truth by way of human condition. And at one point hip-hop was the truth, but now it has become part of the machine, the matrix if you will and is nothing but a well marketed lie.

Which as I said before explains the stuff we hear on the radio. I'm not knocking what being played, in fact I like some of what is spun but I feel that there is an unbalanced play in terms of the greater spectrum of hip-hop.

How the same type of artist and the same types of songs get the most airplay. Meanwhile more congest hip-hop gets pushed to the wayside. And what you find happening on a large scale is the once "underground/congest" hip-hop artists turn into cookie cutter mainstream artists to get more airplay. Selling their artistry for marketability.

Submitting to become just an image as opposed to being a real person because your persona has become controlled by the media.

And what ends up happening is public deception on a mass scale:

You have "Artists" Selling music that's not theirs, that they may not really even like just to sale records. Then you have fans that think they know their artist based on the music they hear from them. But the music wasn't the artists art to began with so now two people that have been scammed....so the cycle continues to grow and grow.

Fake music by fake artists, pretending to be people they never were in the first place to sell records to you because their real art was not "saleable" enough!

So who's the victim here? You the consumer? who has been duped! Or the artist who was raped of their artistic purity and force to prostitute a "better looking" body of music to you?

Answer: NO ONES TO BLAME!

Why? Because, the whole world is a hustle. Especially the music industry. A giant game of buying and selling musical whores. And if you refuse to be a part of it you ain't in it win it so to speak.

My language may be a little harsh but, some would say those musical whores are making madd bread....meanwhile you're broke

Which is very true, but if they're the whores try to think about who's pimping em'?

And partly it's you and me cuz we allow it. But that is another essay so I'm not gonna get in to that.

My favorite recording artist is Ms. Lauryn Hill, a woman who came out with two mind blowing albums (and I don’t give a damn about what any critics say about the unplugged album it was pure lyrical genius) Then disappear from the mainstream. Her reason being the abuse and misuse she suffered at the hands of the music industry.

Ms. Hill quoted to say at a fugees concert in 2005:

I got some time to chill with Brooklyn born rapper T-Eazy. This dude is two mixtapes deep and definitely making a buzz in the New York hip-hop scene. He was really down to earth and I felt like was talking to an old friend.

Mr. Sykes: You’ve been rapping since you were 14 so how as your style changed from then ‘til now?

T: It’s changed drastically; it’s gotten better and better, perfecting my craft doing what I do. Of course the more you do something the better you get at it, keep going the better you are at it. I’ve been doing it since I was 14, I mean doing as far as not just saying I rhyme. I mean doing it was far as going on stage and performing and having a CD, moving and things of that nature. But of course with each Mixtape that drops your marketing ideas become better, your flow, your delivery, everything is just going up…

Mr. Sykes: So Hip-Hop is a movement so how are you moving the movement?

T: I’m bringing great Hip-Hop back into the Hip-Hop world, industry, the community. A lot of people are just doing cliché, which is cool I’m not knocking anybody get your money baby. But what I’m doing is just delivering great music, and delivering it with a consistent flow. Hard lyrics, just that Brooklyn swagger…

Mr. Sykes: So what’s the best song you’ve written so far? Best track you’ve done?

T: Let me say this, I’ve got different songs that get different reviews. And as far as me I feel that…On my last Mixtape “7-1-8 Wit’ Me 2nd dose” hosted by DJ Joker. I had a song on that called “Never Let You Go” Featuring Neat Streetz produced by my man M-Extra…I would say that it was good song because it got a great response, we performed it great everywhere, touched everyone. Neat Streetz is featured on the song but I wrote her verse. So I wrote from a female perspective, so for me that was something different for me (Mr. Sykes: as far as input goes) Yeah I just showed that it was a great song.. I think it was good concept, but I still deliver great consistent music on different levels.

Mr. Sykes: Who are you listening to right now?

T: T-Eazy! [Laughs] My Mixtape just dropped April 22nd so I’m still fresh out, so I’m still banging me. But you know definitely you gotta still listen to people, you gotta know what’s out there. But I really don’t listen to the radio all day everyday that’s not what I do…

Mr. Sykes: So what your favorite place to go?

T: Studio, that’s where I create all the magic at!

Mr. Sykes: Music matters to you because?

T: Because it’s genuine and it’s pure… you there’s a lot of people that do it for money, some probably just do it for fame. Some people just do it for whatever reason that there may be. But I do it because I love to do it, and that’s the art that I create. I touch people on different levels, different emotions, song topics, and still create that good music the only way I could do it.

Get More From T-Eazy @ http://www.myspace.com/ngdafuture

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So I made my way up to the BX (The Bronx for non New Yorkers) to talk to rap group Yung Squad. The group is made up of two gentlemen that go by the names Hollywood Hood, and Body Baggs. I first heard these catz at a performance at 50 Mics Tournament a few weeks back, and as I said then, it was the most hype, energetic, live rap performance I've ever witnessed. This dudes have some serious swagger, with something which consider to be a new sound. And as a group the posses a realness which makes the music they create all the more appealing. These Catz are not your average rappers.

Mr. Sykes: How long have you guys been a group?

Body Baggs: It's been like 3 or 4 years now. I met my man Hollywood about three years ago, doing a little battle in the streets.... Actually they wanted me to battle him, but you know they made a big deal about it. I realized I had a little talent in the game, so we hooked up from there.

Mr. Sykes: Your sound is real different from mainstream Hip-Hop, like at 50 Mics Jay-Z could have been on stage and it wouldn't have been that hype. So where does that sound come from?

Hollywood: ... That's us we're bringing a whole new movement from the last mixtape. You're gonna hear the difference from this mixtape. We got a whole new style, a whole new swagger we're bringing a whole new movement at the end of the day. Cuz it's Yung Squad! I bring the new style, the lyrics, the hype to it. He brings the swagger that's a whole 'nother kind of energy so when that comes together... It's YS

Body Baggs: To feed on to that, we're a little different than the average rappers, than the average dudes....

Mr. Sykes: With that said, if you guys got signed to a major lable what artists/ producers would you like to work with?

Body Baggs: I like Kanye...

Hollywood: I need a Dre beat off jump... I gotta get on a legendary, late, great Dr. Dre beat. It's everybody.... Pharrell, gotta be on that list, Swizz Beats.



Mr. Sykes: So who makes your beats now?

Hollywood: We have different producers, like whoever wants to work with us. We don't have an "Official" YS producer. But it's like we turn nothing into something all the time...(Thanks) 3rd Street Beats

Body Baggs: Shout out to Chris he did a lot of work with us too.

Hollywood: And we're working with Buddha " The Future" you already know Buddha.... (He did) That joint we performed at 50 Mics "Yung Squad Anthem"

Mr. Sykes: What's the message behind you music? What are you trying to bring to game?

Hollywood: Hip-Hop back, no gimmicks all the gimmicks are out the window. Everybody's using it all up. All the T-Pains'. Can be like T-Pain, can't do nobody's dancing not more. We gotta bring back lyrics back, and make real music we're trying to bring y'all that....

Yung Squad[Paraphrased] : We're not hating on anybody out there making paper...but it's time to change

Mr. Sykes: Oatmeal or Grits?

Body Baggs: Grits

Mr. Sykes: Favorite Video Games?

Hollywood: 2k8, 2k Sports

Body Baggs: Y'all wanna know, I really suck at all the games [Laughs] I don't know I'ma say Madden... Yeah I'll be with Madden on this one

Mr. Sykes: What is Hip-Hop?

Hollywood: Hip-Hop is a culture, it's a whole movement, it's society. Everything in Hip-Hop reflects what you do daily, you get up you get dressed in the morning. Whatever you got it's a Hip-Hop swagger that how I feel music motivates you to do different things. That's why we make music, not for "old" heads but for the middle crowd for everybody that's getting into Hip-Hop. They're gonna feel us, those who always been into Hip-Hop they definitely gon' feel us.

Body Baggs: I definitely agree with that.... But it's true Hip-Hop is a culture from the way we dress to the slang we use, it's how we present ourselves in general that's Hip-Hop


Mr. Sykes: Music matters to you because?

Hollywood: Cuz That's the way we gon' get rich and take over this game. That's how I'ma feed my mother, put a better roof over her head.... Take care of all my niggas
Body Baggs: There's a lot that comes with it. I'm not doing it just to do it [Music] Like I said I started out with the poet thing I realized I had talent, I don't wanna be a waste. Music is everything it's like in general.


Get More From Your Boyz Yung Squad @ http://www.myspace.com/yungsquad2

So this past Thursday I was invited to the 50 Mics competition @ spotlight live in time square. I'm very shy (even though most people can't tell) so when I got there, initially I didn't speak to anyone. I took a few pictures of people that where around before the show, and the venue itself. I spoke to my connect there Kareem Davis of Sandbox TV, had a drink and took in the atmosphere. And I realized how strange it was for me being at a show and not having to perform myself. I mean you hear people warming up in bathroom, and in green room. You see them pacing back and forth, nervously talking to their managers and friends; and for the time I'm on the other side of that.

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So I sat down with Brooklyn rapper, and West Palm Florida native Future, to actually discuss the "future" of hip-hop. This bright and talent young man had many things to say. In trying to bring life back to hip-hop and positivity back in the music.

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