Smooth Hip-Hop Singer and Rapper Nate Dogg Dead At 41

Popular Long Beach, California Native Attended School with Snoop

US hip-hop star Nate Dogg, who worked with Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Eminem, has died at the age of 41. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the singer died as a result of complications from two strokes he suffered in recent years.

Snoop Dogg paid tribute to a "true legend of hip-hop and R&B".

Nate Dogg, real name Nathaniel Hale, sang on Warren G's hit Regulate as well as tracks by Dr Dre, 50 Cent and Ludacris. On Twitter, Snoop Dogg said Nate Dogg was "one of my best friends and a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at Poly High where we met".



Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G began their careers in a rap trio in Long Beach called 213 in the early 1990s. Nate Dogg went on to feature on such hits as 50 Cent's 21 Questions, Eminem's Shake That and Area Codes by Ludacris.

Ludacris tweeted: "There is a certain void in hip-hop's heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together."

His manager Rod McGrew tells TMZ that Nate Dogg’s life came to an unexpected end despite the progress he had made. He was “95% recovered from the first stroke in 2007” when a second stroke struck in 2008, rendering him partially paralyzed and causing partial memory loss. Up until his death, he had “cognitively fully recovered,” meaning that he had become completely aware and got his memory back.

McGrew spoke on behalf of Nate Dogg’s family and thanked fans for the overwhelming support. “We appreciate the enormous outpouring of response from all over the world. We greatly appreciate that and thank everyone for their prayers and support,” read the statement. “We know that Nate will be hanging out with his good friends 2Pac and Biggie.”

Ahmad Ali Lewis Is More Than A Black, Washed-Up, Hip Hop Artist: He's Going For His Phd at Stanford

The Rapper Become The Scholar

Ahmad Ali Lewis made a deal with his mother back when he was a student at Palisades High School: He would go to college unless he got a recording contract for his upbeat rap music.

It was a big if. But Lewis, 17, an honors student and top football player, skipped the college entrance exams and signed with Giant Records. "I said, 'S.A.T. -- whatever. I want to R.A.P.,' " he recalls.

Ahmad Ali LewisHis 1994 album, immodestly called "Ahmad," included a hit single, "Back in the Day," a nostalgic riff on his South Los Angeles childhood. In it, he rapped:

I miss those days, and so I pout like a grown jerk

Wishin all I had to do now, was finish homework.

It's true you don't realize

really what you got

til it's gone

And I'm not gonna sing

another sad song, but

Sometimes I do sit and

reminisce then

Think about the years I was raised, back in the days.

Looking back, Lewis said he does not regret his teenage decision, even though his early success was followed by struggles in a music industry he criticized as promoting violence in the African American community. Now 32 and the father of a 4-year-old son, he is still recording songs, but he also is finishing homework.

Ahmad the first-name-only rapper has become Ahmad Ali Lewis the Stanford-bound scholar.

Lewis enrolled two years ago at Long Beach City College and graduated in May as valedictorian, with a 4.0 grade point average. He was accepted as a transfer student by several universities for this fall and chose Stanford.

CHECK HIM OUT ON VIDEO

"When I stepped on campus, something in my gut said, 'Dude, this is where you belong,' " said Lewis, who plans to pursue bachelor's degrees in sociology and African American studies. He said he is "going to be Dr. Ahmad Ali Lewis, the first rapper with a PhD." He quickly conceded, "Maybe someone else has done it, I don't know." No matter, he said, since he expects to get a doctorate in social work and become a professor.

"I love teaching," said Lewis, who recently tutored at an elementary school. "Rapping and teaching are not that far apart. You're rapping, you're talking. You're a professor, you're talking."
Compact but broad-shouldered at 5 feet 7 and 155 pounds, Lewis still has the build of the running back he was in high school. His head is shaven and he has two tattoos: on his left shoulder, a map of Africa containing a woman's face, and on his right forearm, "4th Avenue Jones," the name of the soul-rock-rap band he cofounded with his former wife, singer Tena Jones. When he talks, he waves his hands in the open-fingered style of rap performance.

He speaks of his Christian faith and academic ambitions with enthusiasm, humor and what he jokingly concedes is the "egomania" of a well-loved child. His mother, Paulette Holt, inspired him by starting college when she was a divorced mother of three and also "brainwashed me," he said.
"I always thought I was better than average, that I was handsome, smart and talented. It was a trick," he said. "Being black in America, from the ghetto, you need that extra little bit of confidence. So that's kind of my mission, to give other kids that kind of confidence."

The odds were against him at Stanford, which accepted just 20 of this year's 1,200 transfer applicants. But Lewis was admitted and offered a financial aid package that will cover his tuition and room and board, which total more than $47,000 this school year. He'll also receive funds for books and living costs each year through a highly competitive grant program that the Virginia-based Jack Kent Cooke Foundation offers to community college students transferring to four-year schools.

Ahmad Ali Lewis"Ahmad was really a standout in all the areas," said Vance Lancaster, a Cooke Foundation spokesman. "He is truly a scholar and a humanitarian who just happens to be a chart-topping rapper."

Lewis grew up mainly near 76th and Hoover streets, on a block with a crack house and gangs. His mother arranged for him to be bused out of the neighborhood to honors classes, and eventually to take the hourlong ride to Palisades High.He was both a football jock and a bookworm, with a singing voice that won him attention in church. His Muslim father, John, was a musician as well but Lewis didn't see him much after his parents divorced. When young Ahmad became consumed with rap, his mother panicked.

"I feared him getting involved in drugs, feared him getting involved in a lot of stuff that could have been devastating to him," said Holt, who earned a masters' degree in social work from USC in 2002 and is a therapist for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

"I told him, 'if you are going to rap, at least don't use bad language and don't talk down about women.' And he said, 'Mom, that's not me anyway, I don't do that.' So I was able to hear his music. It wasn't church music but it certainly was a positive message."

The few curse words in his songs were mild compared with the obscenity-filled lyrics of other rappers. A 1994 Times review called his first album "mostly upbeat, always insightful and sometimes very funny." One of the album's cuts offered a cautionary tale about a wannabe gangbanger who tries to impress his crew by planning to rob and shoot a shop owner:

"But I didn't do it quick enough, or he thought

of it first

Cause he blasted to the chest, and now I'm restin yellin, "Nurse!"

And holdin on to life, or at least tryin to hold on

In a jailward wearin cuffs

Cause I had to be rough

Cause you gotta be tough"

Lewis admits he wasn't an angel. He smoked pot, drank and partied during his concert tours. He earned enough to buy a car and a house in Long Beach.

But he was also denouncing "gangsta" rap's influence on black children. "We're destroying ourselves, teaching our kids low self-esteem," he said in an interview with The Times when he was 18. And he tangled with music executives who wanted a tougher edge to his unreleased second album and rejected its religious overtones, he said.

The subsequent 4th Avenue Jones group had some success, opening shows for big names such as Sheryl Crow and the Black Eyed Peas. The group then had contract troubles and Lewis became disillusioned with life on the road.

"I got to the point: 'What's this all about? Am I really having a significant impact on people's lives, just showing up in a city for an hour and doing a show and then leaving?" Lewis recalls. "I thought stardom and fame would bring me a kind of a joy. When I attained that, it was empty."

The big money was gone and the house had to be sold. After nine years of marriage, Lewis and Jones divorced, sharing custody of their son, Yeshuwa. The personal crisis led Lewis to community college.

Byron Clift Breland, Long Beach City College's dean of student affairs, interviewed Lewis during valedictorian selection and learned how he had joined a trip to help orphans in Zimbabwe, but had no idea about his music career. Later, Breland's wife realized that Lewis was the author of "Back in the Day," a song she liked so much that she had it included on their wedding video.

"I was shocked and excited," Breland said of learning Lewis' identity. "To see Ahmad break down a lot of stereotypes of folks who go into the music industry in general, let alone hip-hop or rap, and then return to higher education and go to Stanford is a remarkable story."

Next month, Lewis will start spending weekdays at Stanford and weekends in Los Angeles with his son. Music, however, is not out of Lewis' life.

Ahmad Ali LewisHe is writing lyrics for a new album he hopes to sell to a music label. He lives with his mother and stepfather in Carson and composes at a Salvation Army recreation center in Compton where he draws inspiration from its diverse patrons.

In a small office overlooking the noisy gym, Lewis reviews the lines he has written in an old-fashioned notebook. Swaying in his chair, he sings into a laptop over prerecorded musical tracks from collaborators. The autobiographical album, titled "The Death of Me," is meant to be celebratory, he said. In one number, "Smile," he raps:

"Back to college on the low like a panther

Finished as valedict' then went to Stanford

And I ain't paying for it

But I'm gon' pay it forward

Who gets the glory?

You know I gotta say

the Lord."

SOURCE

The BET Awards Haven't Even Gone Down Yet And Rappers Are Brawling Already

According to reports from the artist’s camp, Akon’s 20-year-old artist, Dolla, got into a minor scuffle with Florida rapper 2 Pistols, which resulted in 2 Pistols — who has been enjoying success with his hit single “She Got It” featuring T-Pain — being knocked out.

Dolla’s camp confirmed that an altercation took place [at the Shrine Auditorium] after he heard about recent public statements made by 2 Pistols claiming Dolla had “no street credibility and isn’t really a rap artist from the streets.” Continue »

Feeling Some "Rappers Delight" From The Sugarhill Gang!

My kids are now trying to memorize all the words.

Old School RULES!!!

Beanie Is Straight Trippin'!

Back in federal court recently for violating terms of his supervised release for a third time,Rapper Beanie Sigel needs to really ease up. Step 1: I'm am powerless over drugs and my life has become unmanageable...

Having already spent a year in jail after being sentenced in 2004 for drug and weapons offenses, the brother, whose real name is Dwight Grant, was stupid enough to give a false urine sample to probation officials. This happened in February, after testing positive five times earlier for controlled substances, including Xanax and Percocet. The former is used to treat anxiety and the latter is typically used to treat moderate to severe pain, but is considered very addictive. Continue »

Quickie: Snoop Is Seriously Ego Trippin!

Find out what the Calvin "The Dogg" Broadus is up to of late.

After That Stroke, Nate Dogg Will Be Back Regulating In No Time!

Rapper Nate Dogg is paralyzed on the left side of his body after suffering a mild stroke over the holidays, according to his manager. The prognosis for a full recovery, however, is good, the singer did not suffer any brain damage nor has his voice been affected.

“Time will tell everything, obviously. The doctor can only guess what the outcome will be,” McGrew said. “But based on situations with similar people his age, and based on his health, the prognosis is good right now.”

We here at 3 Bros are happy to hear the upbeat news. In fact, lets kick a little old school for the brotha:

Is Rapper Soulja Boy Competing With Kevin Federline To See Who Can Spread Their Seed The Farthest?

Atlanta Journal/Constition is reporting that Atlanta music mogul Michael “Mr. ColliPark” Crooms is denying that his latest hot find, Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy has impregnated yet another teen. If true, this "Soulja Girl's" daddy need to "Crank That" brotha up real good -- old school style!

Folks Who Get It: Lupe Fiasco Flips The Script On "Dumb It Down"

With hip hop and rap sales flatlinging faster than Bill O'Reilly's African American cable viewing audience, it is so refreshing to hear new beats from an artist that understands that there's a fine line between using offensive language, and incorporating it in a song while staying true to the message.

That said, meet Lupe Fiasco:

This Black man clearly understands how to play the game 2.0 style. We like. What say you?

DMX: IS MAN NO LONGER A DOG'S BEST FRIEND IF THAT MAN IS A BROTHA?

Sidebar--

Cops Claim Drugs Found in Rapper's Home After Raid

PHOENIX -- After searching the home of DMX during an investigation into claims of animal cruelty, the po-po are claiming they found about a half-pound of suspected illegal narcotics.

The Washington Post is reporting that sheriff's deputies raided the talented yet troubled black rapper's crib on Friday, seizing several pit bulls.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office received a tip more than a week ago about dogs being kept in inhumane conditions at the Phoenix-area home.

With albums that include "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot" and "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood" and "Year of the Dog ... Again," this is not exactly the best news for Earl Simmons, the name his mama gave him before he became DMX.

In 2002, Simmons pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. Police said they found pipes for smoking crack cocaine, a pistol and 13 pit bulls at his home in 1999.

Friday's search was prompted by reports that pit bulls kept by the rapper at the home in rural north Phoenix were not being given enough food or water. A dozen pit bulls were seized, the bodies of three dogs were dug up in the yard and a variety of assault-style weapons were allegedly taken from the home. So far, no arrests have been made.

DMX, 36, was not at home and his lawyer said he hasn't been there for two months. Witnesses, however, placed Simmons at the home within the past three weeks.

The weapons are being checked to see if they are legal, the sheriff said. It's not like he can't carry them, however, since to date he has no felony convictions that would prohibit him from doing so.

COURT'S ADJOURNED!

BREAKING! FOXY BROWN NOW ON LOCKDOWN: PREGNANT BLACK RAPPER REMANDED INTO CUSTODY!

After a Manhattan bench officer ordered the reportedly three-months-pregnant rapper to serve time for violating her probation, Foxy Brown, aka Inga Marchand, was remanded into custody.

Now, the "il na-na" has been reduced to three hots and a cot until her next hearing. Brown, 28, had been on probation on assault charges, but two incidents in recent weeks violated the New York native's probation, thus leading Judge Melissa Jackson to send Foxy to jail.

A source told TMZ that Foxy's face was "priceless" when the judge handed down her decision, and that Brown had not expected to see jail time. It has yet to be determined where Brown will be serving her time.

Stay tuned...

Why Sistahs Are Blue: From The Return Of Imus To Black Rappers To Dunbar Village, ENOUGH!!!

What a year for being Black and female!

It seems like a new level of consciousness regarding Black women was kicked into gear with the whole Don Imus incident back in April.

Then of course we were hit with the pervasive ugly behavior of "New York" and the Flava Flav girls of Charm School. Then there was Opie and Anthony co-signing on the "joke" about raping Condoleeza Rice.

Next, there was that perpetual statistic about 70% of African American women being single to imply we weren't desirable by men.

Then the fight against other Black women (i.e. BET's Deborah Johnson and Jam Donaldson) in decision-making capacities who took on the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude with regards to capitalizing on the negative images within our community with support of Hot Ghetto Mess (now known as We Got to Do Better).

It seems like the final straw, however, has come with misfortune of the sexual assault against the 35-year old Haitian woman and her son in Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach, Florida by 10 Black teens. I think it's fair to say that enough is enough.

Of course we do have the balancing images of Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and now the courageousness of Robin Roberts of ABC's Good Morning America who - after a successful surgery to address her breast cancer - resumed work Monday.

My point? Several years ago with the advent of gangsta rap and the socially acceptable existence of the terms "bitches" and "hos" in rap music, a misogynistic and demeaning impact began to take place in the minds of Americana and those around the world concerning Black women - especially young Black women.

There were those who said...

We know. Just as it's getting good, we send you to our sistah's site.

Post Imus, More Black Rappers On Lockdown: Po-Po Arrest Ja Rule And Lil Wayne On Weapons Charges

Sidebar--

Ja Rule and Lil Wayne have been charged with criminal possession of a weapon in separate incidents after both were arrested Sunday.

Unless either of them have convictions on their records, these charges would involve a maximum 1 year jail term.

That's not to say their guilty, because you know they start with a presumption of innocence (don't you 'yeah, right' me!)

Reuters is reporting that the best-selling rappers were arrested shortly after Lil Wayne's concert at the Beacon Theatre. It wasn't immediately clear whether Ja Rule had also performed.

Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeff Atkins, lives in Saddle Brook, N.J. Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, is from Miami.

Contact information for their managers could not be found early Monday, and there was no immediate response to messages left with their record company, Universal Motown.

Officers spotted Carter, 24, and another man smoking marijuana by a tour bus near 61st Street and Columbus Avenue at about 11:30 p.m., police said. The officers took the two men into custody, finding a .40-caliber pistol. Both were charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana.

Atkins, 31, was arrested about an hour earlier on West End Avenue. Police said he was in a luxury sedan that was going too fast. Officers stopped the car and arrested the occupants — Atkins, the driver and another man — and found a .40-caliber gun, police said.

Atkins rose to fame in the mid-1990s after appearing on a hit song with Jay-Z and later going on to record platinum-selling solo albums.

Carter's albums include "Tha Block Is Hot," "Lights Out," "Tha Carter" and "Tha Carter II."

"Uh Oh" is the name of a new song by the rappers.

If those weapons were found on their persons, the only way a guilty plea would not be entered into was if the defense sought to challenge the admissability of the evidence based on the illegality of the search, or some other inapropriate detention.

Either way, it's no wonder so many Black folks on this site (did you vote???) don't seem to have a problem with Don Imus returning to the airways after calling sistahs "nappy-headed ho's."
We obviously have other issues we need to be dealing with.

COURT'S ADJOURNED!

QUICKIE: WHY SOME SISTAHS HAVE BEGUN LOOKING AT OTHER SISTAHS

When I see rappers Baby and Lil Wayne, I __________

(fill in the blank)

Cover via C&D/Bossip

POST DON IMUS, GHETTO & GANGSTA STILL RULE AS RAPPER REMY MA GETS POPPED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER

Sidebar --

Female rap star Remy Ma, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges today (July 15), after she surrendered to authorities yesterday for allegedly shooting and seriously wounding a childhood acquaintance during a dispute outside of a Manhattan bar early Saturday morning (July 14).

Remy Ma is being held on Rikers Island, as a judge sided with prosecutors bail request of $250,000.

Her attorney Scott Leemon told AllHipHop.com that a judge recently approved Remy Ma's bond and she is expected to be released from custody by the end of the day.

Remy Ma Accused of Firing at Man in 2003

A member of Fat Joe's Terror Squad, Ma turned herself in yesterday for attempted murder.

The Bronx, New York native is accused of having allegedly shot friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph twice in the abdomen at close range on early Saturday morning.

The incident seems to have arisen over missing money. Ma was out celebrating a friend's birthday with longtime pal Barnes-Joseph, when she noticed cash missing from her wallet. Cops believe Ma accused Barnes-Joseph of taking the cash and then shot her in revenge.

Immediately after the shooting, Ma fled the scene by car, but crashed into another auto only a few blocks away from the shooting. She then jumped out of her car and took a taxi. A few hours later Ma turned herself in to police, accompanied by her lawyer. The full charges include attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Ma, who was nominated for a Grammy with Fat Joe in 2004 for the hit, "Lean Back," had been sought earlier for questioning in the shooting.

The 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Remy Smith, was heard to have first had the verbal despute near a bar in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan.

The rapper's manager said Saturday that she could not talk and referred calls to Remy Ma's attorney, who was with the rapper as she reported to police. "I ask everyone to keep an open mind," attorney Scott Leemon said. "Things are not always as they seem." He said an arraignment would be likely be held today, Sunday.

Meanwhile the victim, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, was in stable condition at a local hospital.

Sasha Tcherekoff, owner of the Pizza Bar, said a review of security videotape taken inside his nightspot showed the rapper and her friends having a good time before they exited. "The police have indicated to us that the altercation happened a block away," the owner said. "The security tapes determined there was no physical or verbal altercation while they were in the Pizza Bar."



Remy won "Best Female Hip Hop" award at the 2005 BET Awards. She went on to a solo career, releasing last year's "There's Something About Remy." In addition to her work with Fat Joe, she has also appeared on recordings with best-selling performers Keyshia Cole, Eminem and R. Kelly.

Expect a self-defense argument from her legal team, knowing that she could be looking at prison time if this goes to trial!

COURT'S ADJOURNED!

Tha Hustla's New Joint

by Jayar Jackson

The Philadelphia bred rapper Cassidy, born Barry Reese, is getting ready for the release of his new album, The Barry Adrien Reese Story (B.A.R.S.). With so much negativity coming out of hip hop recently, its commonplace to expect transparent lyrics of shooting, expensive cars, and drug dealing, along with a few bitches and hos thrown into the mix.

Contrary to this assumptive belief, Cassidy says his latest work will be introspective and will reveal his faith in God. This is coming from an artist whose lyrics once said,

“When cops got tha block hot like jamaican clubs
Cop weight, wait for a drought and then make it flood
Try and take my cake you gone take a slug
But you can take my information if you takin' drugs.”

A change to introspection and showing his faith in God must mean that the last two years of Reese’s life have made him take a closer look at himself and his life. From June of 2005 until October of 2006, he has endured serving a year in jail, followed by a serious car accident.

In 2005, police issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the murder of a 22 year-old man after an argument broke out in his Philadelphia neighborhood. Seven months after being released from jail, Cassidy was critically injured when a commercial truck, the size of a U-Haul truck, collided with his SUV while he was a passenger. He suffered a fractured skull and several broken bones on the left side of his face.

"So many serious things happened in my life," Cassidy told Billboard. "What I'm talking about has nothing to do with me being a rapper, but with me as a person."

"When I was going through problems, from going to jail to the accident, even though I had money, I had power, respect and friends, no one showed up and the only thing that helped me was my faith," he explained. "I was so worried about what lawyer I was going to hire and what judge will handle my case, but when I read the scripture, which says it's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man, I knew I was going to win and get through it with the Lord on my side."
This new emphasis of God in his life has inspired a song called, “Leaning on the Lord’s Side,” with Angie Stone. To make sure everyone didn’t get things twisted, Cassidy stressed that the album is not church music, just street songs. The title of his first single, "It's On (I Got My Drink and My Two Step)," illustrates this point perfectly.

This suspiciously shallow and thoughtless title for a song toward God will surely make some not believe Cassidy’s intentions to change his perspective on life. Before chastising the man for releasing a single apparently about partying and drinking, it needs to be accepted that he is still in the business of selling records, giving his audience what they will enjoy. It’s not his obligation to open the eyes of every listener to his newfound faith, especially since he experienced the lengths it sometimes takes to see life differently. This would be the same as brushing off a professional football player’s dedication and belief in God because he fails to attend church due to his job of playing on Sundays.

It’s possible he still has much growing up to do, as does everyone, so give credit to Tha Hustla/Changed man willing to incorporate some more substance in the veins of hip hop. That is what everyone is saying is missing.

“Keep talking, it’s the only way they’ll ever hear you.”--JJ

WHAT'S THE POINT OF BLACK MUSIC MONTH ANYWAY?

Time to Represent?

By Jayar Jackson

President Bush invited many prominent names to the White House June 22 to celebrate Black Music Month, an annual observance and appreciation of African American singers, composers and musicians.

He invoked the usual laughter and applause from the attendees which included Department of Housing and Urban development secretary Alphonso Jackson, former BET owner Bob Johnson, and Warner Music Group executive vice president Kevin Liles.

Some of the performers were R&B singer KEM Owens, violinists Tourie and Damien Escobar, who rose above their tough surroundings to form a group called Nuttin’ But Strings, and 15-year-old Karina Pasian, who uses music to address many serious issues such as hunger, disease, and the genocide in Darfur.

Greg Collins, one of the key players in helping launch and name June as Black Music Month, was also on hand.

He told allhiphop.com, "The influence that Black Music has had on the culture of this country and the world needs to be continually recognized and given its proper place in history. In consideration of all of the negative publicity that surrounds different aspects of our music, this was truly a day to be proud!"

Why is Collins doing the Harlem Shake all around the issue that everyone knows he’s talking about, rap music.

In my mind, ideas such as Black Music Month and Black History Month were created to bring awareness and attention to the aspects of African American culture that the rest of America so easily forgets about.

When a non-Black American is asked what they think of when Black music is brought up, they probably think of rap and all of the negative attention it draws.

Why did Collins only slightly referenced this issue?

Although it was extremely important to highlight the struggles that KEM endured to make it, and the substance that Karina Pasian puts in her music, it is just as vital to address the reasonable questions, concerns, and countless misconceptions many Americans outside and inside of the Black community have regarding the most recognized form of our expression, hip hop.

No matter how many negative artists of the rap genre there are, it is our duty to take the opportunity of national recognition to emphasize real aspects of hip hop, the passionate and worthwhile lyrics that go into so many songs.

It is also our responsibility to address the widely known and commonly reported negative aspects as well. If anyone understands why there is so much apparent violence and misogynistic lines in the most popular genre of our music, it is us.

The majority of the population doesn’t have the interest to go beyond the commercialization of 50 Cents, Snoop, Dre, and Jay-Z to realize that even the negative parts are there for a reason and need to be addressed, not simply written off as “more pissed off Black men that can’t think of anything else but smoking, rims, and bitches.”

We have to stop going to the White House acting like hip hop is a small movement that will soon fizzle out. If we ignore it during the month we set aside to have the world celebrate it, there’s no reason for anyone else to pay attention to its importance and power, either.

Hip hop has reached every part of the world and influenced people that don’t know there are Black folks from all walks of life and backgrounds with something to contribute to every intelligent discussion.

We need to always point out to the people so far from the issues that affect us and our music where it’s all coming from and why. Understanding begins with sparking conversations and exposing people to the topic that simply don’t get it.

Maybe we should begin with the rest of America.

OLD SCHOOL: PUSH-IT! FROM THE FUNKY RAP DIVAS KNOWN AS SALT-N-PEPA

Now this is when rap and hip-hop was da bomb!
Read our next post to find out what these ladies are up to!

Twista Raps For 'My People In My 'Hood' On New LP With R. Kelly, Pharrell

Looking to the past for direction, Twista is a forward thinking Black man.

The Chicago native's forthcoming album is a nod to his debut, when the world was first introduced 10 years ago to Twista's rapid-fire flow, particularly the Legendary Traxter-produced "Overdose."

"I feel like I found a niche as far as how to do music successfully, commercially and still keep my street vibe and my lyrical credibility," he said. "I feel like that's what I conquered when I did songs like 'Slow Jamz' and 'Overnight Celebrity.'

"But at the same time, too, I realized I still live in Chicago," Twista continued.

So for the hard-charging Adrenaline Rush - due August 7 on Atlantic Records - Twista recruited Cee-Lo, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, Lil Wayne and the Speedknot Mobstaz to join the fray.

Even though Twista is still finishing up his upcoming project, the rapper has been serving as a columnist for Chicago's Red Eye newspaper, writing about issues (the Virginia Tech tragedy, President Bush) that he normally wouldn't address in his raps.

"Sometimes when I do my music, I try to be so dope with the lyrics that I don't touch on a lot of topics like I do with my column," he said. "So if you want to really see what Twista is thinking about stuff, you can check out the column side.

But when I get to my next album, I'mma fuse both of them together — my music with the way I write in my column — so you can really hear Twista's perspective on a musical level. I'm trying to take it there."

And we'll be on that ride with you, brother. No doubt!

MTV

SAME OLD THANG, RAPPER "THE GAME" WITH GUN AND THREATS

Rapper The Game has been charged with making a criminal threat and with possession of a firearm in a school zone during a Feb. 24 pickup basketball game.

The brother, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, allegedly got into an altercation with a player on an opposing team at the Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex in South Los Angeles.

(FYI - Walters was an African-American school board member who went on to serve in the City Council representing South Los Angeles)

After allegedly punching the victim, cops say The Game, 27, pulled a gun from his red Escalade and threatened to "pop the victim." (Pop a cap in his a** was probably more like it)

Taylor is also charged with one count of exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer. (What was he doing showing off his Guns of Navarone collection?) He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday for the three felonies.

The arraignment will likely be continued, however, due to the hard-working Black man currently tied-up on a project. Because all defendants must appear in person on felonies (only attorneys need to appear on misdemeanors), the continuance was absolutely necessary.

If convicted, The Game is looking at more than five years in state prison.