X-Clan Reunion Set to Highlight Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards

X-Clan reunion highlights hip-hop awards

By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10035/1033198-388.stm

 

Paradise the Arkitech

Last year, the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards went head to head against the Grammys at the Pittsburgh Hilton.

This year, the fourth annual event, presented by 360 Entertainment and again at the Hilton, will be a party on the eve of the Super Bowl with performances and awards in 35 categories.

The highlight will be a reunion of the X-Clan, marking the 20th anniversary of the Brooklyn crew, which features Pittsburgh-based artist/activist/producer Paradise Gray, aka Paradise the Arkitech. There will also be performances by Boaz, Jasiri X, Common Wealth Family and Da Sinate, among others.

This year, marketing company Block Starz Music will present the PHHA winner of “Mixtape of the Year” with a promotional package worth more than $2,000.

The red carpet is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by the show at 8. Tickets are $20 advance. Go to www. pittsburghhiphopawards.com.

Here are the nominees in the performance categories:

CD of the Year: “Disco Lemonade,” Common Wealth Family; “Vintage,” YD; “Certified,” F Block; “Deal or No Deal,” Wiz Khalifa; “Audiobiography,” Boaz; “American History X,” Jasiri X; “The Atlanta Project,” Nova”; “High Life,” Mac Miller.

Single of the Year: “Statement,” Like; “Well Got Damn,” Hardcore; “Hustler,” Boaz; “Homewood Movement,” Tada Salad; “Dear Debra,” Jasiri X; “Press,” Please; “Rollin Witta Star,” Common Wealth Family; “Wham,” Mr. Rogers Ft. Freeze.

Best Duo or Group: Formula 412, Burghtown, Apex, Piff Boyz, Da Sinate, Most Wanted F Mob, Justuce Street Poets, Keystone Kyngz, U.P.S, Bully Ent, Common Wealth Family

Best Male Artist: S. Money, Joe Beast, Boaz, Wiz Khalifa, Jasiri X, 2kraze, Big Lyfe, YD, B Brixx, Kev Da Hustler.

Best Female Artist: Nina Ross, Lady Homi, Kellee Maize, Sash Mead, Donnis, Kizzi, Red Eye, Hollywood, Lovely.

Best New Artist/Group: SS, GMG, Jayvon, E Dot, Lil Brucey, Alumni, Str 8 Money Ent, Looney, Kemikal

Best Male Singer: Gene Stovall, Manny, Hutch, Hakeem Rasheed, Ambition, Vinnie Vocals, Ira Soul, Ez the Rockstar, Stevie B, LT.

Best Female Singer: Angee Gonzalez, Nadia Soul, Margot B, Dell Saunders, J’Aira, Marcelago, Alexandria The Songtress, Bianca Atterberry, Mona.

Producer of the Year: Young Hott, Juliano, Sledgren, Mindbender, Black Czer, James Webb, Mysterious, Cynik Lethal, Big Jus -Bully Ent, Big Jerm

Underground Artist of the Year: Living Proofe, Money Sl, Tjuan, Jon Quest, Furious Styles, Divine Seven, Gambino, Vaig, Common Wealth Family, Joey Fatts.

Mover and Shaker Award: Chris Schizo Hoye, DJ Goodnight, Sage Berlin, Kristen K Mo Gasdick, Ivory the Human Hustle, John Mista Scrap Wilson, Orlana Darkins, Emmai Alaquiva, Slim/Hater Magnet, Cordell Collins.

B Boy/B Girl/Dance Group of the Year: Naka Ent, Caution Crew, Pittsburgh Heat, Ambition.

Lyricist of the Year: Masai (Formula 412), Boaz, YD, Jasiri X, Wiz Khalifa, Living Proof, 2GZ, Big Lyfe, Pook, Jon Quest.

Battle Emcee of the Year: Anymal, Real Deal, Basket Case, Ajaxx, Boka, Mista Scrap.

Mixtape of the Year: S. Money, “D Boy 3”; Pyrex, “Cash Cow”; B Brixx, “Neighborhood Heroes”; J Haze, “King of Da City”; Playbizzle, “Da Greatest”; Beedie, “Most Slept On”; Wiz Khalifa, “Flight School”; Alley Mob, “Bring Back That Burgundy”; Squirm Nitti, “Hurricane Ike.”

Mixtape DJ of the Year: DJ Shef, Fast Eddie Productions, DJ Bchenk, DJ Nitro & DJ Plan B, DJ Schizo, DJ Schemes.

Best Hip Hop Video: Boaz, “Steel City”; Common Wealth Family, “Star Song”; Good Company, “Good”; Jasiri X, “Dear Debra”; Da Sinate, “New Money”; Mac Miller, “Live Free”; Kev Tha Hustler, “Heavy Hustle Boss”; F Block, “Grindin”; Living Proof, “Wake Up World”; Stevie B, “Burgtown.”

Best Inspirational Artist: Travis Malloy, Jasiri X, Curtis Lewis Jr., Brady Hill, Mele Mel, Team Excellence.

Club DJ of the Year: GQ, Bonics, Noetik 5000, Matt G, Rok & Shorty D, Schizo, Schemes, Tee Jay, Assassin, Nugget.

— Scott Mervis: smervis@post-gazette.com; 412-263-2576.

Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10035/1033198-388.stm#ixzz0ef5F344x

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The Prophecy of Hip-Hop

The Prophecy of Hip-hop
by DJ Paradise Gray of X-Clan

original article-21 2006

“Government Intelligence” is a misnomer. With at least a 30 some odd Billion dollar budget, the pre 911 “Intelligence” Agencies didn’t have a clue about what was going on. In spite of the reports of Arab men at flight schools asking to learn how to fly but not how to land. That was a clue that I would expect the lowest level security guard to alert on. How did they miss that? To borrow a line from Keith Sweat “Something Just Aint’ Right”. What I do know is that I’m very uncomfortable with the people who have their fingers on the red buttons. I’m no conspiracy theorist but Bush is looking more and more like Senator Palpatine to me by the day.

Some people may think that rappers are no rocket scientists, but either someone’s lying about what they knew or rappers are clairvoyant, because they sure did a heck of alot better job than the government, understanding the danger and possibilities for terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center.

Eric B & Rakim’s song “Casualties Of War“, released in 1992 on the “Don’t Sweat the Technique” album, Rakim says:

“So now I wait for terrorists to attack,
when a truck back fires, I fire back,
I DUCK FOR SHELTER WHEN A PLANE FLYS OVER ME,
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR? NEW YORK WILL BE OVER G”,
Kamikaze, strapped with bombs,
No peace in the East, they want revenge for Saddam”.

Equally prophetic and kinda weird is this next one from Busta Rhymes who seems to stay in the news lately.
(Hip-hop Cointel Pro is on you Busta! Be very carefull, you are probably being set up for a big fall).

Busta rhymes song “Against All Odds” from the 1998 album: “Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front)”

Busta’s prophecy is two-fold here, a combination of both of the other examples.

First Busta’s E.L.E. cd cover features lower Manhattan (the area where the World Trade Center was located) going up in a large blaze of fire, then at 1.19 of the track (911 backwards) – Busta Says:

“DESTROY ANY ARCH RIVAL, OR ANY CHALLENGER,
MAKE YOU REMEMBER THIS DAY NIGGA, MARK IT ON YA CALENDER,
I’m showin’ you somethin’, you ain’t sayin’ nothin’,
My niggaz make noise like a bunch of volcanoes errupting,
NONE OF Y’ALL NIGGAZ REALLY WANNA WAR,
THE TYPE OF NIGGA TO CRASH MY PLANE IN YOUR BUILDING IN THE NAME OF ALLAH”

No wonder they keep hunting him down like his name was Osama Bin Busta!

And last (but not least), The Coup, their CD cover never got released to the public, however it is still pretty easy to find on the internet:

The planned cover art created in June 2001 for The Coup’s “Party Music” album depicts The Coup with an exploding World Trade Center in the background, Coup DJ Pam the Funktress conducts the proceedings with 2 batons as “Boots” Riley handles what looks like a detonator but is actually a guitar tuner. The Cd was released in November 2001 with a different cover after the actual attacks on the World Trade Center.

Could this all just be a coincidence?

—
Paradise Gray
Honorary Chairman, Pittsburgh LOC
National Political Hip-hop Convention
Grand Arkitech Of The BlackWatch Movement
Minister Of Arts And Sciences Millions More Movement
Director Of Almost Home Youth Ministries
One Hood
www.myspace.com/paradisegray

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Wave of tragedy devastates the hip-hop community

Wave of tragedy devastates the hip-hop community

By Davey D

original article-may 19, 2006

The hip-hop community has been hit with devastating losses over the past few months.

Fans around the world were saddened when producer J-Dilla of Detroit’s Slum Village suddenly took a turn for the worse and died in February of complications from lupus. His death was especially painful because it occurred just days before his critically acclaimed album “Donuts” came out. The previous week, an album-release party was held in Los Angeles, where numerous artists for whom Dilla had made beats, including De La Soul, were on hand.

The sudden death in March of Professor X (Lumumba Carson), leader of the Afrocentric political rap group X-Clan, sent shock waves throughout the community. His death was especially hard to accept because many had seen him at a media reform demonstration just three days earlier, where he had spoken about his determination to step up his activism and resurrect the Blackwatch organization founded by his father, Sonny Carson.

In addition, the members of X-Clan had patched up differences that had kept them apart for more than 10 years. They were set for a surprise reunion. The week Professor X died, he was supposed to visit California to shoot a video with group members Brother J and Paradise. This coast, particularly the Bay Area, had special meaning for the group because it was the first to embrace and champion the music of X-Clan, originally based in Brooklyn.

The fact that Professor X died of spinal meningitis made headlines in New York. The Professor X case underscored the music industry’s dirty little secret: Despite the billions of dollars the industry generates annually, most musicians do not have health insurance.

Weeks after these deaths, the hip-hop community was shocked to hear about the shooting death of Eminem’s best friend, Proof, leader of the group D-12. The charismatic Proof (who played the man who gave Eminem his start in the movie “8 Mile”) had announced that he was working with other artists on a tribute album for Detroit’s J-Dilla. Sadly, people are now doing a tribute album for Proof.

Over the past two weeks, California has lost three hip-hop legends, two of them on the same day. One was DJ Dusk, who spun frequently at Bay Area functions. Dusk was also a political activist in the area of education. He died two weeks ago, when he was hit by a drunken driver in Southern California as he walked a girlfriend to her car. According to witnesses, Dusk pushed the woman out of the way but was struck himself and dragged 80 yards. His selfless act speaks volumes about the kind of man he was.

His death was widely mourned in tributes around the country. He was so well loved that hip-hop pioneers Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Jazzy Jay made rare joint appearances in New York, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, where Dusk had his biggest followings. They visited San Francisco last weekend to do a tribute and raise money for Dusk’s family.

On the day that DJ Dusk was killed, Michael “Mixin’ ” Moore, a pioneer in hip-hop radio in L.A., died at age 46 from heart failure. Best known for his Militant Mix, fusing speeches and news clips over popular instrumentals, he also is credited with inventing the 5 o’clock Traffic Jam, a mainstay on commercial radio around the country.

While the hip-hop icons were paying tribute to DJ Dusk last weekend, rap legend Skeeter Rabbit of the pioneering dance group the Electric Boogaloos died. He was an innovator in “strutting” and “popping” and was no stranger to the Bay Area, where he participated in numerous competitions.

On Saturday may 20th there will be two seperate tributes and funerals for Skeeter Rabbit and Michael Mixxing Moore

With all the deaths, many in the hip-hop community have taken time to reflect. Since no one is promised tomorrow, we must learn to appreciate what we have today. Digital Underground’s “Heartbeat Props,” which encourages us to honor the living, rings especially true these days.

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