May 16 2013

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mystic Mystic is one of Hip Hop’s most overlooked emcees..She’s incredibly talented, extremely prolific and a serious artist who brings thoughtful lyrics in the form of singing and rapping to every song she records..

Mystic who originals hails from Oakland and now lives in LA is more than just an emcee. She is also an activist and educator.. For years she cut her teeth as a school teacher. Her passion for uplifting kids has only increased over the years as she is now pursuing additional degrees in that profession..

In our interview which was done about a year or so ago.. Mystic talks about her love of kids and teaching. She talks about her involvement in Occupy LA and of course she goes in about her music, future projects and the current state of Hip Hop among other things.. She also talks about how to be business savvy in an industry notorious for taking advantage of folks.. This interview originally aired in Jan 2012

Listen to the Hard Knock Radio interview by clicking the link below

Apr 14 2013

3 Dope songs from LA Rapper Ak’sent

Ak’Sent aka Krystle Kantrece Johnson is from LA..I remember when she first hit the scene around ’05, ’06, she looked like she was ready to be that main person everyone was checking for.. But then she disappeared.. Not sure what happened, but her music was dope and as an emcee she was up there..

Her father is of African-American descent, while her mother is of Mexican descent. Ak’Sent grew up quickly thanks to a rough childhood.Her father was an aspiring rapper caught up in the gang lifestyle and was killed in a gang shooting when she was four years old, and with her mother unable to support her on her own, she was sent to live with her grandparents in South Central, Los Angeles. Ak’Sent was signed to Capitol Records when she was only 16. Since then she has worked with a number of well-known professionals such as The Jugganauts, DJ Quik, & Beenie Man. Ak’Sent aims to avoid the glorification of violence and prefers to think of Hip-Hop as a form of “street poetry.” Her first album, International, was released on September 26, 2006. She released her second album Gem-In-I under the Avex label. It was released on July 16, 2008 in Japan only. She is currently recording her third album and a mixtape.

Although Ak’Sent signed to a major label when she was only 16 years old, her African-American/Latino background had her wondering where to fit in. Adding to her challenges, rap music wasn’t allowed in her grandparent’s house, but as Ak’Sent learned more about her father’s hip-hop aspirations, she decided she should carry on in his honor. She eventually spent time in several R&B-based girl groups and began dance training with Debbie Allen. One showcase at the age of 16 had the young multi-talent signed to Capitol and working with the production duo The Jugganauts. Ak’Sent was especially excited about the Caribbean-styled beats the Jugganauts were working on, and soon she was writing a series of dancehall numbers. One was the future hit “Zingy”, featuring guest star Beenie Man, who Ak’Sent herself had chosen because she was a huge fan. Her debut International landed in 2006 with a Spanish-language remix of “Zingy” and an ode to her departed father titled “My Life”.

source wikipedia.. for more info on Ak’sent go to http://www.aksent.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ffnf5ohN6w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXOKk3HC1Y0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SauqNhpOm8

Apr 14 2013

3 Dope Songs From Eternia

Eternia real name Silk Kaya is a dope emcee from Toronto, Canada who’s been holding it down for a minute.. With each song and each performance she brings 100% and has proven to be a force to reckon with.. We encourage you to check out her website http://www.urbnet.com/artist-eternia.asp

Here’s an excerpt from an interview she did a few years back from Hip Hop Canada

HHC: Nice! Let’s get into more background information that we haven’t touched on before. To begin with, why rap? What kind of influences brought hip-hop into your life?
Rap wasn’t something I consciously ‘chose’. I think most people that are talented hip-hop artists, that shit just was natural. I was introduced to hip-hop by my older brother when I was around 8 years old, in the late 80’s. I missed a lot of 80’s history because I’m young, but yeah… it was Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew, Maestro, LL Cool J… the mainstream rap at the time. Then I got into, of course, the Native Tongues thing, the golden era… the 90’s indie scene (Rawkus, Fondle ‘Em, Fat Beats, etc.). That’s what really raised me and my craft mostly. I feel like this has been said by a ton of artists before… [Laughing] I am no different. But yeah, I’ve been spitting since I was around 8 or 9… documented, on videotape, all that. It was natural, I just never stopped spitting.

Below is another interview Eternia did for the The F Word Media Collective with hosts Meghan Murphy, Ariana Barer, and Ellie Gordon-Moershel look at the changing circumstances and representations of the female rapper over the decades. Why are women so underrepresented in hip hop? Its a great program.. Eternia’s interview comes in around 25 minutes into the program