Love Hip-Hop Remix

The wait is over! A few posts back I mentioned working on a collaboration with east coast rhyme spitter Shabaam Sahdeeq and French cut master DJ Modesty. 

The project was a remix to "Love Hip-Hop" a song  off "Tha Audio Bully" album released back in February 2015. It was released as a single in July. The single made it on the Music Week, Urban Club Chart in September. In three weeks the track moved up the charts from position #23 to #15.

You can buy a copy of the Love Hip-Hop Remix by pressing the link. The remix is a whole different song. It features harder bars, more punch-lines and DJ Modesty scratches to tie it all together. This international collaboration brings together New York, France, and Amsterdam representing real boom bap Hip-Hop. Listen to the track below and if you love Hip-Hop music buy a copy.

The Original Statue of Liberty Was Black

Very few people know the origins of the massive statue that stands in New York Harbor greeting travels from across the globe. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French to signify the end of slavery. There is evidence that supports claims she originally resembled a black slave with broken shackles on hands and feet. 

The artists Edouard Laboulaye and Auguste Bartholdi intended the statue to be a monument that would commemorate America’s commitment to liberty and equality established by the Declaration of Independence. You can view the original designs on display in the Museum of the City of New York. 

When the American government saw the designs they refused to have an African-American be a National Monument and sent them back. They preferred to have a monument that was European and made no references to slavery. Auguste Bartholdi redesigned the statue to resemble the face of his mother Charlotte Beysser Bartholdi. The only remnant of the original design is the chain (from the shackle) showing from under Lady Liberty’s dress. 

There’s also a rumor that the redesigned statues official title is Liberty Enlightening the World. Her construction was funded by the Masons and she is holding the Masonic Torch of Enlightenment, also known as the Flaming Torch of Reason. The same woman is used in the logo for Columbia Pictures.

There’s a large plaque bearing masonic symbols on the base of the statue.

Just sharing a couple of fun (rumored) facts about the Statue of Liberty you probably didn’t know.

Dutch Hip-Hop

One of the benefits of living in Holland is I'm in the mecca of cultural diversity. I know allot of people would argue that New York is that place but the Netherlands used to own New York. Which is why NYC has cities named Harlem, Brooklyn, Rotterdam and Amsterdam because its origins are here.

Although Holland is a tiny country it has enormous talent! Dutch Hip-Hop is a mix of US and European influences blended and twisted into their own style. Most of the older rappers here spit in English because they grew up on US Hip-Hop. The younger generation tends to spit in their own language (Dutch) so their people can relate.

Over the years I've worked with numerous Dutch artists and have shot video clips for MC's DJ Nemo and Gekke C (Crazy C). You can watch their clips under the videos tab or go to youtube. Below I posted clips from a few artists spitting in both languages. SugaCane aka Redlight Boogie, Mr. Probz, Deams, K.V. (Kleine Viezerik which means little pervert in English) and the group Opgezwolle. All MC's with talent and their own unique style. Check 'em out!