Top 5 DJ's (dead or alive)

Someone asked me a question the other day. "Who was my all time favorite DJ...dead or alive?" I didn’t have an answer at the time. I don’t really like lists, BUT for the sake of conversation I posted my top five dead or alive DJ’s. When I say DJ I mean a person who spins and can scratch on the turntables, not producers with the title DJ in their name...like DJ Quik or DJ Green Lantern. 

I’ll do a top five dead or alive post about MC's at a later date. Below in no particular order are DJ Premiere, DJ Screw, Tony Touch, DJ Clue,  and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Check out how Jazzy Jeff breaks down the record live at the House of Blues. If you don’t like my five DJ’s post a comment with a list of your own.

Reggaeton

People can say what they want about Reggaeton (Latin Reggae) but its a musical genre that’s here to stay. Like hip-hop and dancehall its a sub-culture of music that critiques dubbed a "fad" that would disappear within five years. I first got familiar with its unique sound in the mid 90's from listening to Tony Touch aka Tony Toca. 

He had two mixtapes “The Peacemaker volume 1 and 2 that featured an artist named Tego Calderone. This dudes style was off the chain! He reminded me a of a Latin version of Shabba Ranks. Since then numerous artists have appeared on the scene and Reggeaton has hit the mainstream.

Reggaeton originally started in Panama and migrated to Puerto Rico and around the world. It blends West-Indian music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as bomba, plena, salsa, latin pop and bachata as well as hip hop, R&B, and electronica.  Reggaeton combines all these flavors with rapping or singing in Spanish. Below are artists Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, Tego Calderone, Nina Sky and Don Omar a few artists from the genre I think are dope. Check ‘em out.

Neo-Expressionism Art

Jean Michele Basquiat  (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an artist in many genres including graffiti, music (DJ, punk band, mc) and fashion. He is also the first African American international superstar. He dated celebrities like Madonna and Blondie but was most famous for his Neo-Expressionist paintings. He died at age 27 from a heroine overdose.

I didn’t learn about Basquiat until the mid 90’s when the girl I was dating (who was a painting major) told me about him. I was impressed he made it into the art history books and checked out some of his work. He had a unique style that used multi-layers of color mixed with obscure phrases. I liked it instantly and although my art was developed independently I saw similarities in our styles. I posted a few pieces of his work below and if you want to know more about him click on his name or go to www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/basquiat. 

                                            Palms Springs Jump 

                                                             Two Crabs

                                                         In Italian 

                                                                   ErNok 

                                                           Onion Gum 

                                           Portrait of Jean Kallin

Meet the Jetsons

If you’ve never heard of the Jetsons its okay cuz the show is older than dinosaurs. The Jetsons were a family who lived in the future and would go to work, school and shop using Jetpacks. This was a revolutionary concept at the time cuz it depicted humans flying as the next step in technology.

We’ve now reached that point...in steps the Martian Jetpack. The Martin Jetpack is the world’s first Jetpack made for commercial use. Unlike the Jetpacks you see in the movies which use strings and other devices to assist with flying, this actually works. It consists of a gasoline engine driving twin ducted fans which produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft and a pilot in vertical takeoff and landing, enabling sustained flight. I posted a clip below, take a look cuz this is your future too.

Here is another Jetpack. This one is cooler cuz it's faster and looks similar to the ones worn in Japanese Anime. This is a powerful Jetpack that reaches speeds up to 300kph and has wings like a jet plane. Its completely developed and functioning but do to its many applicable military uses will most likely not be available commercially for another decade. Check it out!

U.K. Hip-Hop

The UK Hip-Hop scene also known as Brit-Hop has been growing with the same speed as the US since the 80's. Although old school Brit-Hop emulated the US sound, by the 90's they veered off in their own direction. Experimenting with different sounds and flavors that produced sub-genres of music like Grime, Drum and Bass, and U.K.Garage. I've been to the U.K. numerous times and know cats that can spit with some of the best American MC's. They get busy over there and the big labels like Bad Boy, Def Jam and Interscope know it. That's why since the last few years they've been trolling the UK for talent.

Below are MC's Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Klashnekoff and Sway. All from different parts of the U.K. and each with a different flavor. I linked their artist pages to the names if you want to know more about them.

Freestyle Monstas

Frestylin is defined as raps performed with no previously composed lyrics. The most commonly used slang term is "spittin off the top of the dome."  Originally, in the 1980s, the term ‘freestyle’ referred to a pre-written rap verse that was not on any particular subject matter, but instead was written for the purpose of demonstrating skill. Since the early ‘90s onwards, with the popularization of improvisational rapping from groups/artists such as Freestyle Fellowship and Souls of Mischief. The term "freestyle" has become used as a  term for rap lyrics which are improvised on the spot.

Below are a some MC's who I call freestyle monsta's, meaning they can spit ridiculous verses off the top of the dome...nothing written. There's allot of catz who claim it, but only a few could do it. Supernatural, Juice, and Big L (R.I.P) are three MC's who could spit verses so effortlessly it sounds like they're written. Check the clips.

New Movies

For the homebodies who like to stay indoors here is a few movies that I recommend watching. Inception (sci-fi/action), Clash of the Titans (fantasy/action), Knight and Day (comedy/action), The Expendables (action) and Salt (mystery/action). I've seen all of them on the list and depending on how you feel about spoilers, I posted trailers below. 

Inception

The Expendables

Knight and Day

Clash of the Titans

Salt

Female MC's

Hip-Hop has changed allot over the years and one of the most noticeable changes is the disappearance of female MC's. Back in the 90's there were allot more female MC's with talent in the game. Now there seems to be only one or two with real talent and allot of copycats of those two being promoted by their label. 

Artists like Queen Latifah, Bahamadia, MC Lyte, Rah Digga, Sonya Blade, Heather B, Lil Kim, and Lady of Rage are just a few artists that used to spit fiya. Below I put a few tracks from these emcees as a tribute to the dying genre. Don't get it twisted there's allot of female talent out there, but major labels seem to have lost their interest. This could be for many reasons but I'm assuming it has more to do with album sales than talent. 

Check out the clips below and if u like the tunes, tell a friend to tell a friend.

Surrealism Art

I've always been a fan of surrealist art. My passion for the style came from seeing the paintings of Spanish artist Salvador Dali (May 11, 1904 - Jan. 23, 1989). 

His amazing use of color and bizarre depiction of everyday objects captured my imagination and inspired me. One of his most famous paintings "The Persistence of Memory," depicts clocks melting in the dessert. Its such a simple concept but the technique behind it makes it extraordinary. 

Aside from painting Dali was known for making 3D optical illusions and sculptures. You can see his style reflected in the works of many modern artists including Hans Kanters, a Dutch painter I posted in an earlier entry.  I posted a few pieces from Dali below, but if you want to see more of his art go to www.daligallery.com or www.artsy.net.

Reggae & Dance Hall

I was talking to a friend of mine and she told me she never heard of Beenie Man. So I sent her one of my favorite Beenie tracks "Who Am I." Afterward it got me thinking, its summertime and Reggea has always been summer music to me. When I listen to Bob Marley it makes me feel like I should be outside in the sun or sitting on the beach watching the waves.  There are quite a few Reggae artists I used to listen to. I'm a fan from the older school back when Dancehall was really poppin and reggae and Hip-Hop were spoken about in the same sentence.

Below I posted clips from the old school Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Mr. Vegas, Bounty Killer, Super Cat and new school, Damian Marley one of the many sons of Bob Marley. He is a new artist with talent like his daddy.