When people think of the benefits of Hip Hop as a culture, what comes to mind? Number one for many is economic. Hip Hop created a lane for many to thrive in that uses their innate creative and entrepreneurial skills…
Blog Archives
What’s the best thing about Hip Hop?
Tagged with: culture, deejay, edutainment, emcee, hip hop, kurtnice
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
What’s the Best Cypher in Hip Hop History?
What’s the best rhyme cypher in Hip Hop history? Is it Shades of Hip Hop’s Cypher featuring Big Pun, Canibus, Mos Def, DMX, John Forte and Mic Geronimo? You tell me…
Tagged with: #kurtnicehhl, artist, best, big pun, canibus, culture, cypher, dmx, emcee, hip hop, kurt nice, mos def, rap, rhyme, shadesradio, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Shout Out to Hip Hop Nerds
(originally published Feb 2, 2016) To be clear, rappers didn’t create Hip Hop. They used to speak for it though. Deejays didn’t create Hip Hop either; neither did B-Boys/Girls or Graf artists. Hip Hop was galvanized by all those groups…
My Thoughts on Hip Hop History Month
The concept of Hip Hop History Month is lost on today’s society. There is not enough appreciation for the rich culture and economic opportunities afforded by the existence of Hip Hop to properly celebrate its success or awareness. At this…
Tagged with: big pun, canibus, culture, dmx, emcee, hip hop, kurtnice, mos def, rap, shadesradio, video
Posted in big pun, canibus, cypher, dmx, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, john forte, kurt nice, mic geronimo, mos def, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Posted in big pun, canibus, cypher, dmx, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, john forte, kurt nice, mic geronimo, mos def, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
New Episode: What about non-English Rap?
Ep. 10 In this week’s episode, we look at some new artist submissions from the HipHopLives.net group on Facebook. A few submissions are non-Engish language tracks which beg the question: Can we like a song if we don’t understand the…
Tagged with: emcee, hip hop, kurtnice, media, rap, shades of hip hop, shadesradio, UAR, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Unsigned Artist Review (Parts 6 & 7)
It’s hard not to diss whack music but I try to be as constructive as I can in criticizing some of the weaker submissions. I don’t know if I was successful, but you be the judge. Most of the reviews…
Tagged with: artist, culture, emcee, hip hop, kurtnice, rap, shadesradio, UAR, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Unsigned Artist Review (S2 E5)
Each week I try to go through as many post from the HipHopLives.net Group on Facebook and review what people have submitted. I can’t guarantee that I will be in a good mood all the time, and I won’t be…
HipHopLives FB UAR (S2 E4)
From the Facebook group page for HipHopLives.net we check out some of the latest submissions from members in the Unsigned Artist Review. Dope tracks and whack rappers will be defined and singled out in my completely biased True School Hip…
Tagged with: emcee, hip hop, rap, shadesradio, UAR, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Pop Rap versus Hip Hop
Rap music of today, filled with the newest trendy sound and contemporary mindset, is a far cry from what the seasoned Hiphoppa would prefer, content-wise. Today’s music is the reflection of a fantasy world that exists mainly in songs or…
Tagged with: 9 elements, culture, emcee, hip hop, society
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
A new look at the Hip Hop Elements
We all talk about Hip Hop; what it is, when it started, who is Hip Hop and who isn’t. But do we even all agree on that first part? What is Hip Hop? We all say it’s more than just…
Tagged with: 9 elements, bboy, culture, deejay, emcee, graffiti, hip hop, knowledge, kurtnice, lives, society
Posted in 9 Elements, elements, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, history, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in 9 Elements, elements, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, history, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Young Rappers Don’t Love Hip Hop
Most times, I stay in the background of these topical rap conversations and gossip because its pointless. I’m glad on one level not to associate with too many insiders because then you lose perspective. It’s hard to be an honest…
Tagged with: #kurtnicehhl, artist, emcee, hip hop, media, rap, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
It’s All About the Hamiltons
If you asked the average rap fan what the biggest story in Hip Hop (culture) or hip-hop music for the past 12 months was, what would they say? They might mention Drake and Meek Mill. They might talk about Future’s…
Tagged with: culture, emcee, hamilton, hip hop, kurtnice, Lin-Manuel Miranda, society
Posted in archive, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
Posted in archive, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Recent Posts
18 Years ago this month
Do you remember the days before the internet? There was a time when communication between people took much longer. Information took days, weeks, and months to circulate sometimes before ‘everybody’ knew what was going on. The only viral videos of…
Tagged with: #kurtnicehhl, 50 cent, culture, emcee, hip hop, kurtnice, nore, shadesradio, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, NORE, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, NORE, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Remembering the Moments
In my photo journal, Shades of Hip Hop: Undaground Seen, I talk about the importance of cherishing the moments in life which change and inspire us. In a song recently released by Noreaga called, Moments, he deftly weaves a laid…
Tagged with: #kurtnicehhl, culture, emcee, hip hop, moments, nore, rap, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, NORE, Recent Posts, shades of hip hop CDS
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, NORE, Recent Posts, shades of hip hop CDS
What Happened to Skillz?
The idealistic principles of Hip Hop at its core are Peace, Love, Unity and (safely) Having Fun (Afrika Bambaataa, KRS ONE). It is expressed most often thru other principles like Originality, Concept and Skills. Originality was the lynch pin distinguishing…
Tagged with: culture, emcee, hip hop, kurtnice, rap, skillz, society
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, Recent Posts
The #3 Rap Album Was A Hidden Gem This Year
Right now the biggest gainer in rap album sales on Billboard is the #3 position held by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cast recording of the Broadway musical Hamilton. Alone that statistic is impressive, but consider this…the Pinkprint World Tour by Nicki Minaj…
Tagged with: art, culture, emcee, hamilton, hip hop, Lin-Manuel Miranda, media, society, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, Recent Posts
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, Recent Posts
Hip Hop: Stupidity is the real enemy
(VIDEO BELOW) In a recent song created by rapper Saigon and producer DJ Premiere called, Let’s Get Smart, Saigon says… Nah Preem, I ain’t come around to dumb It down. I done started a revolution, I ain’t running now. ‘Cause…
Tagged with: #kurtnicehhl, culture, emcee, hip hop, rap, Saigon, society, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, shadesradio.com
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, shadesradio.com
November: Hip Hop History Month
Since November is Hip Hop History month, a time in the folklore of Hip Hop when we celebrate the intricate history of the culture we all dwell in, let us reflect on the past. Many Hiphoppas talk about old-school vs…
Tagged with: 9 elements, afrika bambaataa, art, artist, bambaataa, bboy, breakin, culture, deejay, dj, emcee, graffiti, hip hop, history, lives, rap, shadesradio, society
Posted in 9 Elements, afrika bambaataa, ARTISTS, beatbox, big daddy kane, biggie, Deejays, dj, emcee, fashion, GRAFFITI, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, history, industry, kurt nice, Latest Issue, magazine, rap, rapper, Recent Posts, truth
Posted in 9 Elements, afrika bambaataa, ARTISTS, beatbox, big daddy kane, biggie, Deejays, dj, emcee, fashion, GRAFFITI, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, history, industry, kurt nice, Latest Issue, magazine, rap, rapper, Recent Posts, truth
The Lies Hip Hop Told Me (3): Fuck America
To those in the inner city, life in America can look bleak at times. The lack of employment, crooked cops, criminals trying to stick you for your goods, scam artists plotting, over-inflated prices, poor education, you name it. But guess…
Tagged with: America, emcee, hip hop, Homeboy Sandman, lives, manny faces, video
Posted in 9 Elements, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Lies Hip Hop told me, Manny Faces, NYHipHopReport, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Posted in 9 Elements, Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, kurt nice, Lies Hip Hop told me, Manny Faces, NYHipHopReport, Recent Posts, shadesradio.com
Hip Hop Emcee Sean Price dead at 43
It was reported this morning that Sean Price of Duck Down Records, Boot Camp Clik fame died in his sleep August 7, 2015. Sean P was known as a top-notch Brooklyn-based emcee with massive skills on the mic. Sean P,…
Tagged with: culture, emcee, hip hop, lives, R.I.P., Sean Price, shades of hip hop, video
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, R.I.P., Recent Posts, sean price, shadesradio.com
Posted in Hip Hop, hiphoplives.net, R.I.P., Recent Posts, sean price, shadesradio.com
