Photo by Nanci O. Taken February 18, 2013 at The Freedom Expression Tunnel in Raleigh, NC. This Monday August 26, 2013 will be the 3rd anniversary of the NC State Cypher. Back in February I posted a blog about the history, importance and impact of the cypher on North Carolina hip hop culture [READ: The NC State…
Every so often I like to dedicate a post to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (RDU) hip hop scene and all the cool stuff happening here. Even though I travel fairly regularly, Durham, NC continues to be my home base. I love the Bull City and feel really proud when really awesome things related to hip hop…
Durhamites Toon and The Real Laww will be releasing a double EP this week, You Know The Name and End The Beginning, respectively. If y’all will be in and around Raleigh this Thursday August 22nd, the duo are headlining Oak City 7 at City Plaza. They’ll have copies of their EPs on hand. In the…
The air is already getting a bit crispy (70 degrees today) and school starts back up right around the corner. Have y’all stopped in to Kosmic Kickz in Greensboro lately? If you haven’t heard, they’ve now opened a second store down in Kannapolis, NC! Also, every Monday from 3PM-4PM is Happy Hour at the store.…
In the five years since I started this blog documenting Carolina hip hop culture (and beyond) [READ: 5 Favorite Carolina Hip Hop Releases Of The Last 5 Years (2008-2013)], between traveling and attending various events, I’ve met and/or interviewed lots of interesting people doing unique work. From Dr. Tammy Kernodle’s extensive research and documentation of…
Think Kanye’s “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves” but with a whole lot less aggression, drum and bass topped off with a laid back flow. Black power raps. Off Truez’ ART 91 (American Rebel Tales) mixtape. Watch the “Pharaoh Skin” video after the jump!
This weekend in Greenville, South Carolina the 6th Annual SC Music Awards celebration went down in grand fashion. The main event awards show at the Greenville Marriot was a sold out, standing room only event with 500+ attendees in the building. I’ve attended the SC Music Awards every year since 2009 and each time, The…
The 6th annual 2013 South Carolina Music Awards weekend is finally here. Today July 27 the main event is taking place in Greenville. The Live stream begins at 3PM. This year, there will be two feeds for y’all to watch, one with behind the scenes interviews, news and updates. The other will be the…
I was floored back at the end of June when the New York Times (Sunday edition, no less!) did a review of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff’s Young Rich N*gga mixtape. Mainly because at that time, YRN had only been out two weeks. With the right team and great timing, come ups can be quick and…