Tupac Shakur: The Life of a Born Rap Soldier

 

It's Saturday, the sun's rays of heat makes it another golden, California day...and June 16, 1971 is the day one of hip hop's greatest emcee's in the rap game - Tupac Shakur [aka: 2Pac, Makaveli] - was born. 

Anyone with half a brain and exposure to mass media pretty much knows, or will eventually hear about, the celebrated life and legendary lyrical 'spit-flow' of a born rap soldier:

 Tupac Amaru Shakur

While most rappers do just that - rap, Pac was, and obviously still is (2K12 hologram at Coachella), much more than an MC, or a thug for that matter. 

A spiritual-soldier of great intellectual fortune, Makaveli was blessed with unprecedented and unmatched skills (writer, actor, MC, activist, producer, poet, revolutionary, screenwriter, humanitarian) and a voice that penetrated the heart & soul of massive audiences the world over - one love! 

And even though murder was the case they gave him, executed in Las Vegas - 1996, Pac gave us all 100% real, raw, rough, and romantic insight into the mind of [a] prophetic genius who became a threat to many forces...and some might argue, even to himself.

Regardless of how his spirit transcended our sense of dimension, time and space -- the life and 1-LOVE-THUG-PASSION of Tupac Shakur, no-doubt, lives on...and rocks beyond the break of dawn. Happy 'born-day', Pac. Hit em up!

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Big SHOUT-OUT to his mother, Afeni Shakur,

and the 'party' that helped raise a son who reminded us of hip hop's universal message of [thug] love, peace and unity. 

   "A coward dies a thousand deaths... a soldier dies but once." -Tupac

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"Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide as of 2010,[2] making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time." [source: wikipedia]

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well Respected in the Rap Game:

Tupac Amura Shakur

 June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996

He was 25 years young

Tupac: Resurrection

Young Guru Kick's Off Annual Scholarship for SAE Students in Cape Town, South Africa

Audio recording engineer, hip hop DJ and producer of Jay-Z's spit game - Young Guru (aka: The Sound of New York) gives back to Cape Town, South Africa - School of Audio Engineering [SAE] students in the form of annual scholarship! 

Always eager to share his knowledge with those who aspire to enter the rap game, Young Guru is hookin'-up with Heal The Hood to ultimately lace a worthy student with R60000; that's just under $7K U.S. dead presidents'.

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YG Breaks Down 'The Game' of Rap Hustle & Flow  

Flip Gates - "The Hip Hop Billionaire" (aka Lil Flip), Boosts Stock and Cashes in on Corporate Deal with UVMF

GlobeNewswire reports UVMF and rapper, Flip Gates do 'corporate' verse deal for mix tape

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Apparently street-swagg is still marketable in corporate America...and Flip Gates - "The Hip Hop Billionaire" is cashing in on his share in exchange for corporate verses! The United Vision Marketing Firm - UVMF will be launching a mix tape project (The Owners Box) this summer, which features Flip spitting a 'corporate hip hop verse'. 

"After reading in a press release about UVMF's offer to give 1 Million Shares of their Pre IPO stock to a top Hip Hop Artist to rap about corporate moves with a street swag, Flip Gates and his people moved diligently on an opportunity that fits his vision and business model."   [source: GlobeNewswire]

Dr. Nono Pearson, Chairman and CEO at UVMF, expressed confidence in Flip's corporate/street-swagg [brand] and mass appeal to the extent of considering the Houston rapper for a role in a movie production called, "Hustler's Redemption".

Best known to rap fans for hits like The Way We Ball, Sunshine and Game Over...

'The Hip Hop Billionaire' 

sold over  8 million  units 

and over  1 million  Hip Hop Ringtones!

How to make Hip Hop Rap Beats with 'Maschine Mikro'

Maschine Mikro:  Producing Beats & Hits that Bang!

Native Instruments Maschine Mikro Groove Production Studio

Got lyrics, but no beats? Technology, with no production skills? And most of all...Got   Maschine Mikro, but no road map? No matter if you're new to beat making or an experienced producer or musician, there's nothing like a video demonstration and tutorial to boost-up the learning curve. While some may prefer to figure things out for themselves, by trial and error, most users of Maschine Mikro and similar technology appreciate quality product demonstrations, in order to fully exploit its capabilities. 

So in response to questions about how to make beats using Native Instrument's -- Maschine Mikro, we've searched and found a few good examples of quality video presentations, by users and reviewers, of this essential, dope, and easy-to-use technological groove-box!

But before we get down to the 'nitty-gritty' of actually learning how to create bangin beats, check out hip hop producer, Khrysis...
 

using Maschine Mikro:

                           

Now that you have an idea of what the Maschine Mikro can do, get comfortable, maybe even get a pad and writing tool to jot down a few notes, get your headphones (Beats by Dre'
if you're a 'Baller', of course), and give a big shout-out to DubSpot and Mr. Invisible's - Justin Aswell for this three [3] part slammin tutorial on >>>>>>>>
 

a). track composition,

b). finger drumming, 

and c). live performance techniques:

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"Leonard from Kosmic Sound takes us through the features of the Maschine Mikro..."

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With practice and dedication to one's craft of composing beats and breaks, whether for hobby or business, anyone can learn to produce and enhance the skills of composing...
                                

       bangin'-ass, ballerific beats...

     

so, get it poppin' like 'J. Ellis', homie!

Beastie Boys Rap Pioneer, Adam Yauch - 'MCA' dies at age 47

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The hip hop community and fans worldwide are shocked and saddened; a rap pioneer - Adam Yauch

(better known as MCA of the legendary group -- Beastie Boys), has died at age 47. But although MCA's 'physical' is no longer perceivable, hip hop celebrates the spirit of those, like Adam, who've helped blaze its revolutionary trail through popular culture.

 

 

As [a] founding member of the Beastie Boys rap group, MCA rocked the mic with fellow group MC's - Mike D and Ad-Rock, and Mix Master Mike spinning the tables to their funky, funky hits. 

Before the group decided to express their combined art through rap music, they first chose hardcore punk as the genre of choice. In 1983, the 'B-Boys' started flirting with hip hop and expressed their new-found love like most MC's do...they released a 12 inch single:  'Cooky Puss'.

A year later, in 1984, the Beastie Boys and hip hop were married to the rap game, and their first offspring [album] was Licensed to Ill, released in 1986.

"It was the first hip hop LP to top the Billboard 200  chart. It was also Columbia Records' fastest-selling debut record to date and sold over 9 million copies." And judging from the group's worldwide impact and fanbase following, being married to hip hop has been mighty good for one of hip hop's illest group of MC's.

They were pioneers, no doubt!

"They are one of the longest lived hip hop acts worldwide and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2011, more than 25 years after the release of their debut album. The group has been selected as part of the 2012 induction class into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after being eligible since 2007."  [Source:  Wikipedia]

Adam Yauch was a true representation of what

hip hop culture was, is, and should [forever] be  --  a unifying force of loyal expression of self, for the benefit of humanity. 

In spite of his battle with a cancerous parotid salivary gland, which is the likely cause of [his] death, in his personal life, Yauch practiced and became a voice for Buddhism, and the struggle for independence of the Tibetan people, specifically. 

He was so devoted to his spiritual practice and beliefs that, in the spirit of hip hop, he put his money, and his heart, where his mouth was. "He created the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization devoted to Tibetan independence, and organized several benefit concerts to support the cause." 

RIPMCA
04.05.1964 - 05.04.2K12

                           Way to spit the ill, 

raspy rhymes!  

     "If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece. If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least. What's running through my mind comes through in my walk. True feelings are shown from the way that I talk"  
-MCA, [Pass the Mic - 1992]

Extra, Extra: Nas' new single - "The Don" bangs hard from NYC!

 

After 20 years in the game, Nas - "The Don" still bangs 'flowetically' hard, from NYC!

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It should come as no surprise that Nas' new joint, "The Don"  symbolizes what's likely to be another sizzling success from the rappers upcoming album - Life is Good, scheduled for release this summer (07.17.2K12). 

  

 

As he bangs loose on New Yorker's and MC's worldwide, Nasty Nas gets active [in] good life, swagg fashion. "The Don", 

rather harsh and matter-of-factly, reminds MC's and rap fans what two decades in the rap game can produce -- legendary, intelligent, poetic, and gritty flawless flow!

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DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW; Nas...

is 

nasty

on the 

mic!

 

  

DMX shows heart and soul for moms on 'Couples Therapy'

"Never once did she say she loved me"

It takes a real man to admit when he's been emotionally scarred, and it takes great courage to share his pain with the world. Rap star - DMX did just that recently on VH1's reality show - 'Couples Therapy'. 

Known for his hard 'thuggish-ruggish', bad to the bone [rap] flow and iconic 'dogg' style, when talking about his mother, DMX keeps it passionately "real". 

"I used to always turn to drugs when I was feeling a certain way and now that I’m not doing that, sometimes the pressure builds up, I’ll call [someone] and say, I just wanted to say ‘Mommy.’ I wanted to say that word. Mommy. Not ‘My mother,’ you know, I wanted to say mommy. I just wanted to talk to her. I haven’t talked to her in years and I just wanted to be able to say ‘Hi, mommy. I love you.’ Never once did she [say she loved me.] …. [crying] …. You know what, I think people lose sight of the fact that no matter how strong you are, as a man, no matter how tough you are, we  all need to be somebody’s baby."  --DMX

Way to 'man-up', X! And don't even trip on loved-1 for showin' some thug passion for his moms...who wouldn't? Even the hardest of hearts break down when it comes to something so essential to a healthy life - love from moms. And we all know dudes front like sh#t don't matter, but even the illest menace to society 

has a bleeding heart for the woman who gave him life. 

Many young fans, especially those who find themselves living in foster homes or childcare facilities, for instance, will be blessed by DMX's example. Too many of these youngsters sincerely believe that no one wants them, especially their mothers'. Confronting and sharing childhood trauma will no doubt help those who also feel the pain of love's absence. 

And above all, in spite of his ups-n-downs with the "industry", his career is [still] all-good, but never more important than confronting the source of his suffering.

"And judging from the show, DMX has rightfully acknowledged [the] turmoil and is clearing the way for better days and better ways. That's what's up." -T.F. Hodge

One love and keep shining, dogg!

 "I gotta make it out, or move quickly. Can't allow the past to restrict me, bet this time around they won't skip me. I am the last hope." --DMX

 

The 'Hood' goes to Coachella Valley: Dr. Dre, Snoop and Kendrick Lamar to Perform at Music and Arts Festival

Legendary west coast rap stars' - Dr. Dre and Snoop,

along with Compton, California's young good-fella', lyricist - Kendrick Lamar are scheduled to "give it up" at this year's 2012 - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Considering hip hop music has not always been the festival's dominant music genre, rap fans living in or near Riverside County will finally get to see "real G's" bless the mic without spending major 'ends' on gas for the long drive to one of L.A.'s many major venues. And, you can bess-believe that the skies over [the] Coachella Valley will be smoked and choked-out when Dre and Snoop hit the stage on Sunday, April 15th and 22nd.

For those who appreciate new 'spit', after taking major shots to the chronic dome from legendary originals' like Dre and Snoop, young swagg - Kendrick Lamar promises to get your head right with his 'barific' elixir of verbal ghetto consciousness!

Kendrick Lamar Live @ CVMAF

Friday, April 13th and 20th

Ice Cube - 'The Don Mega' talks '21 Jump Street' and other movie biz projects

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Hip Hop MC, Rapper, Gangsta, Mack, Hustler, Baller, Street Scholar, Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, Dad...um, what else? To some he's O'Shea Jackson, and to others he's Ice Cube (or Cube); he's so large he is 'The West Coast Warlord -- The Don Mega'! 

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Lately, the homie - Ice Cube has been busy 'handlin biz' and talking about his new [movie] production projects:  '21 Jump Street', 'N.W.A.' and 'Last Friday'.

Putting rumors to rest, Cube keeps it real during an interview on BlackTree.TV about directors, cast of characters, and playing a cop. "I'll play one if they give me millions of dollars. Who wouldn't?", said Cube during the interview.

For all those "true hip hop heads" who love to dis rappers for 'crossing over' and stepping into the pop-culture limelight..."don't hate the playa, hate the game!" 

If you were offered millions of dollars to play an imaginary role, one that would provide financial security for you and your family or loved ones, your hip-hop-head-ass would be with the business like 100! Like any other 'real' dude in the game, Cube continues to put it down with major swagg sauce. 

Besides '21 Jump Street', Cube speaks on N.W.A.:

"I'm trying to get the N.W.A movie made. I want to get a good script together and find a director. The movie is gonna cover how we got together, how we broke up and what happened after that", said Cube. 

But the question that's on everybody's mind is; Will Chris Tucker make an appearance in 'Last Friday'? 

 

An added bonus, no doubt, would be seeing comedic stars Mike Epps and Kat Williams get-it-in for the grand [Friday] finale. It would also be nice to see 'Deebo' get his punk-bully-ass knocked out again, too.

STAY TUNED! 

Ice Cube 

The Don Mega 

West Coast Warlord

with

'Pyroclastic' Flow

"Gangsta to us didn't have anything to do with Al Capone and stuff like that. It's just about living your life the way you want to live it. And you're not going to let nothing stop you."  - Ice Cube

Catch '21 Jump Street' Friday, March 16, 2K12