Hip-hop pioneer takes local artists to task Posted by Federico Martinez | Muskegon Chronicle August 27, 2009 06:03AM
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS — The question: “Who is the face of hip-hop today? Whoever says ‘Jay-Z’ is an idiot,” Prof Griff of the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy bluntly responded during a recent forum in Muskegon Heights.
Griff was addressing more than 150 people who attended the event, which was held Saturday at the Muskegon Heights Boxing Club. The program, sponsored by local radio station 103.7 The Beat, is one of a series of culturally related workshops that the station is hosting this year.
“The face of hip-hop today is white — white, corporate America,” added Griff. Griff’s lecture was titled “Black Music: The Psycho Analytical Destruction of a Stolen Legacy,” and anyone thinking they could cruise through this class was quickly put on notice by “The Professor.” ”You’re not going to agree with everything I’m going to say, I’m just going to tell you that from the beginning,” said Griff. “Those people who are going to get angry and red-faced with me, that’s fine too, because I have to move you out of your comfort zone.
“If you listen to the local radio station and you’re digging what’s going on the station and you’re going down to the club and partying into that same madness, you’re going to have a problem with The Professor today,” he continued. “If you think — someone on the panel said Jay Z is the face of hip-hop — if you think he is, you’re definitely going to have a problem with Griff today.”
With that, Griff served up a music history lesson that highlighted the contributions of socially conscious singers and musicians such as Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield. He also pointed out that the roots of hip-hop stem not just from music, but also poetry.
PROF GRIFF AUDIO
• Prof Griff Part 1
• Prof Grifff Part 2
Some of the early rap and hip-hop pioneers include Gil Scott-Heron and Afrika Bambaataa, he said.
Griff argued that the white music industry has profited from black music — including jazz, blues, R&B, rap and hip-hop — for years. The same music industry frequently rewards black performers who live up to negative stereotypes, such as the rap “gangsta,” he said.
Christina Milian has done it. This no-talented bitch has finally
found a trick that can make her pass-go. Not only is she fucking for
tracks, she’s fucking for record deals. What is this world coming to?
Milian’s fiance “The Dream” is now Executive Vice President of Island
Def Jam Records. If this is the case, Kanye should be the President
of Island Def Jam…he’s far more talented than The Dream, agreed?
What kind of examples are the non-talented fucks leaving for today’s kids?
I’ll tell ya…porn is mainstream. If ya can’t sing, ya have
autotune. And if ya can’t make a record alone, ya can get five of
your friends to jump on tracks with you (if you don’t believe me, ask
Jamie Foxx).
Yeezy,Drake, Eminem, and lil Wayne collaborated on a newly LEAKED track called “Forever”. It should have been called “Desparation” , know why? ‘Cuz that’s what it is mane. You can listen above.
It’s sad no one can release a good record themselves and expect it to do well…you literally need to band together the inactive fanbases of 4 guys to even generate any attention. They’re even taking Teddy’s advice and using more than one drum loop! These guys must really be desperate!
What do you guys think of the track?
What is Eminem doing hanging out with these guys? Does Dr. Dre know? What about 50 and G-Unit?
UPDATE: Check out 40Glocc.com; apparently Em’s lyrics are actually a DISS?! Check it out and decide.
I was once in love with hip/hop because it was so different from R’nB – meaning rappers were never begging for love in their songs…
The beats were exciting and the rapper normally had something special to say about himself or the city he lived in…
Once, in the game of hip/hop we all hated the police…ask Dr Dre. We never cared about corny nightclubs ‘cuz they never liked our dress code. We were from the streets and most of us came from government housing raised by a single parent.
We made up our own language – we had our own slang and we all had a crew…In other words we just didn’t give a fuck…did we? Time has changed because hip/hop became what I always hated and do you know what that is? POP MUSIC!!!!
Hip/hop is now in the same lane as R’nB and Pop music so it’s truly boring to me and I don’t believe anything this current MCs have to say. Rappers today are not revolutionary they’re all materialistic and some are of them are even gay…ask Wendy Williams.
Before Michael Jackson died, his brothers shot a one hour pilot for a reality show that was supposed to follow them as they “reunited” with Michael. MJ wanted nothing to do with the project and it was done anyway….
What’s the world coming to? A&E is confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter that they will be airing a pilot in the next month and a series is likely to follow.
Why do we need a reality show that shows them mourning and trying to “revive” their personal careers? It seems a bit forced, doesn’t it?
Phil Spector is complaining about his incarceration. Big surprise. If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime right?
I feel sorry for such an accomplished music man and old friend being behind bars – but his claims are outrageous! He can’t believe “…sending me to the same prison” as Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. “They’d kill you in here for a 39-cent bag of soup!”
California’s prison liaison to the press said “It’s ridiculous! Because Spector is not the same prison!” Phil is currently being held in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility which is TWO MILES AWAY from the Corcoran State Prison that Charles Manson and Sirhan are being held.
Plaxico BurressPleads GuiltyTo Weapons Charges – Read More @ AP
New JayZ/Rihanna/Kanye Video Leaked – Watch The Video @ OnSmash Nothing impressive here, the video starts out like a big production 90’s video but the song itself, the vocals, the hook, and the lyrics are mediocre at best.
OmarionDropped FromCash Money Records – Read More @ Gossips! Didn’t Bow Wow also announce today that he signed to Cash Money? I guess there wasn’t room for both of ‘em…
Whitney Houston To DoOprah? – Read More @ AntiMusic What is she gonna tell us that we haven’t already seen on video?
I’ve been trying hard to test Marilyn Manson’s gangsta and guess what? She’s got none…I said said some fighting words to Manson and it was her choice to ignore me..Marilyn Manson is just another big mouth…
She said if anyone said anything about her in the press she was going to fuck that certain reporter up… So I decided to cause some trouble and say a few words to Marilyn and she backed down… Some of her fans were like “I’m fucking pissed – Marilyn better do something to this guy or I will”… Even Hitler had fans so I’m no amused at Marilyn’s fan base – they’re just like Marilyn… all posers mane…
I really don’t care about this bitch she’s a drug addict… How can she be a master if she has a cocaine addiction?
She’s upset about her past lovers – in other words she is suffering from a broken heart…Meow!!! What a pussy she is…
R.Kelly was asked about Trey Songz challenging him for his king title of R n B…Guess what R.Kelly said? “Trey Songz is a boy and he’s a grown man…”. In other words R.Kelly doesn’t have the time to play with children unless they’re young teenage girls…Ouch!!!
Buss this!! R. Kelly is dropping a new album October 13th and I believe you guys are all going to love it. R. Kelly said he worked with a few down – south producers from Atlanta just to keep his sound current. I’m not sure those are two words I would use in the same sentence, but lets give him the benefit of the doubt…
He would really like to work with Stevie Wonder because R.Kelly looks up to him and what’s wrong with that? R. Kelly is a egomaniac…know why?
