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| Barack Obama Gives A Shout-Out To Hip-Hop Posted: 27 Sep 2008 11:02 PM PDT Senator says artists are 'thinking about social responsibility and how they can impact the culture in a positive way.'
Yes, hip-hop loves Barack Obama. From Weezy to Jeezy, Jay to 'Ye, some of rap's biggest names have saluted him in their lyrics, and he's inspired mixtapes, bootleg T-shirts and onstage shout-outs. But what does the senator think of hip-hop? Sure, he went all Jay and brushed dirt off his shoulder at an April campaign stop and referenced Lil Wayne during a speech in July. But he was also quick to admonish Ludacris for a particularly fiery freestyle aimed at George W. Bush and then-rival Hillary Clinton. And while stars like Oprah Winfrey, Usher and John Legend have turned up next to Obama at campaign stops, the hip-hop nation has been virtually absent from the senator's stage.
So how does Obama feel about the genre that has rallied around him? "I enjoy it, but these days I don't have the time to listen to it all the time," he told MTV News. He said that he still finds time to shuffle through MCs like Jay-Z and Kanye on his iPod, but he thinks the genre's impact extends far beyond a few hot tracks. "I'm a little older than hip-hop culture," he said. "I was there at the beginning, but I was already getting older. ... What I've appreciated, watching this hip-hop generation, is to see how entrepreneurial they've been. In the past, musicians oftentimes were commodities. They were just shuffled around. Obviously, they did well, but they didn't have the vision to say, 'I'm going to build a business. I'm going to build my own studio. I'm going to create my own production operations.' I think they're a lot more sophisticated than in the past, and that is a wonderful thing." He went on to tell MTV News that he's still seeing growth in the genre and that he's optimistic about what's ahead for hip-hop. "What I'm starting to see is them stretching out more and thinking about social responsibility and how they can impact the culture in a positive way," he said. "And I hope that continues." And where does he weigh in on hip-hop's hottest issue -- the greatest of all time? "Oh no, I'm not going to get caught up in all that," he laughed. MORE FROM THIS INTERVIEW
Get informed! Head to Choose or Lose for nonstop coverage of the 2008 presidential election, including everything from the latest news on the candidates to on-the-ground multimedia reports from our 51 citizen journalists, MTV and MySpace's Presidential Dialogues, and much more. Plus, check out Think's voter-registration page to find out how you can hit the polls in November. Related Videos | |
| Sway Talks About His Sit-Down With Barack Obama Posted: 29 Sep 2008 05:33 AM PDT Is interviewing a presidential candidate anything like talking to the Game? Find out in the Newsroom Blog.
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| Maino Brings New York To The Masses; Scarface Preps His Last Solo LP: <i>Mixtape Monday</i> Posted: 29 Sep 2008 05:04 AM PDT Plus: Kevin Garnett reps for Kanye West, Lil Wayne; Young Chris says hip-hop will Never Die.
Artist: Young Chris Representing: State Property Chain Gang Mixtape: Never Die 411: Jay-Z is still betting on Young Chris being next up. The Philly MC's solo debut, Now or Never, is still due next year, but it won't be on Def Jam, the only label he's known. "Me and Jay, that's personal," Chris told us. "We're personal friends since I been in the game at 15 years old. When I say, 'Leaving Def Jam,' it means leaving Def Jam, not Roc-A-Fella too. Roc-A-Fella is a family." Chris said that as he heard it, Roc's official roster is himself, Memphis Bleek, Kanye West and Young Hov. "Everybody is still doing their thing. Shout-out to the whole S.P.," he said. "[The Roc roster] got short in a short matter of time. I know everybody was shocked by that." State Property are definitely back together and, as a unit, they are free agents. That hasn't stopped the Beanie Sigel-captained collective from working on albums separately and as a group. Chris is trying to keep his heat up with his Web site, YoungCBlog.com, and by releasing a string of mixtapes. Never Die is his latest, and he put it together with DJ Omega and DJ Drama. "I got a song titled 'Never Die,' " he said. "Justice League did the beat. It was recorded two years ago. It's the same beat as Rick Ross' 'Maybach Music.' Due to my album being pushed back, they sold the beat to Ross. The song meant so much to me, 'cause I was talking about a lot of people in my 'hood that got hit up real bad and made it through it. I just figured the mixtape [should be called] Never Die. Hip-hop never dies." Joints To Check For » "Cypher" (featuring Wale, Freeway and Beanie Sigel). "It was a big record for us. Wale was in Philly working at the same studio I work at with Dre & Vidal. ... I came in the room, he said he wanted to hear some material. Instead of playing records, I had a beat I played. He started bobbing his head. Freeway came in, started bobbing his head. I said, 'We gonna do this like a real cypher. Let's go four [bars], four [bars], four [bars].' Beans came in the room. By the time he came in, [there] wasn't no more room for him to jump in on the fours, so we said, 'Yo, go ahead and anchor it.' The record has 3 million plays on my [MySpace] page. I speak to [Wale] almost every day." » "Don't Dance" freestyle. "I love that Swizz knock," Chris said of the track where he rhymes over T.I.'s "Swing Ya Rag." "Swizz [Beatz] is one of my favorite producers. Shout-out to him. I say it was one of them records that was underrated or overlooked. Some people when they hear my freestyle, they be like, 'Who's beat was that?' They still ask to this day when they hear it on the mixtape. I just went in." » "Murda Freestyle" (featuring Sparks). "The joint I did with Sparks, that was another beat that was underrated," Chris said. "That beat was from Uncle Murda's record. I called Sparks to the studio one day. I already had my verse laid. As you can see, he got on and threw it right back to me. I had to go back in some more. Passed it right to him. Me and him was just venting in the studio one day. Sparks definitely has the most charisma out of the whole [State Property] clique." Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week » Willie the Kid - Absolute Greatness 'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar » T.I. - "Ready for Whatever" Celebrity Faves "Anything is possssssible!" Kevin Garnett said that Kanye West stayed in heavy rotation when he was going through the NBA Playoffs in June. Right now, he's pumping The Recession, Tha Carter III and T.I.'s new music. He's deep into mixtapes. "WhiteOwl. I listen to WhiteOwl," he said at an event for the video game "NBA 2K9" last week. "Green Lantern, Drama down South. I try to keep them guys in rotation. Mixtapes are huge. At least for me. They the ones that leak everything. Without the mixtapes you can't really get that raw material. I look forward to that. WhiteOwl, keep dropping that." The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground New York is sort of like the New York Yankees. There's been a focus on superstars and veterans, and cultivating the careers of younger talent has been mishandled or outright ignored. For one reason or another, no label has been able to pull the trigger on some of the new-school cats who have been waiting in the wings for years, like Grafh, Papoose, Uncle Murda and Saigon. But with "Hi Hater," it looks like the city is finally going to have a much-awaited debut from a new MC hailing from the five boroughs: Maino. "People should look at me and feel we all need to get on the same page," he said recently. "We need blood, new faces. I'm the new face of NY, the new face of Brooklyn. I'm waiting for more. I'm waiting for the rest of my n---as to come up. We need that." "Hi Hater" just happened to be what the rapper — and New York — needed: a record by a Big Apple artist that's getting played in heavy rotation outside the city. People from all regions are learning to respect the record. Just look at Young Jeezy and Game, who recently invited Maino to make guest appearances during their respective NYC concerts. NYC concerts that took place on the same night. "I got the call from Jeezy a couple of days prior to that," Maino said of the August 26 shows. "The Game thing — I don't really know Game. That was on the strength of somebody else. The Game thing was spur-of-the-moment. Somebody that he f---s with that has a lot of love for me asked me to do him a favor. So I came through, got it done. This is during the Jeezy show that [Game's camp] was hitting me, asking me to come through and do my song. I didn't get a chance to kick it with [Game] like that. We don't have a real relationship like that. But it's respect. "Yeah, man. New York City," Maino added. "You can't come to New York City and not know what I'm doing. You can't say you don't feel what's going on with Maino. Nobody can deny me. It's just the grind. I'll do 15 shows in one night if I could." His record is three. Maino actually performed for a college crowd after gracing the stages with Jeezy and Game. "I'm out there, it feels good," he said. "I'm trying to build momentum. I got the remix to 'Hi Hater.' The video is a new version of the 'Flava in Ya Ear' remix. Then I got the 'Hood Love' song with Trey Songz. It's a strong radio record. I'm looking to keep building steam." Maino has pushed back the release of his debut, If Tomorrow Comes, from its October launch date to several weeks later. He wants to continue building his out-of-state following. In the interim, he's putting music out in the street. "I'mma drop a couple of mixtapes: Maino Is the Future and Black Flag City: The New Religion," he said. "I can never leave my roots just because I'm getting a national look. "Sometimes you look at great work. You don't necessarily copy it, but you remind people of what's going," he added about Maino Is the Future being similar in title to the G-Unit classic 50 Cent Is the Future. "That title fits right now. Me being the only new New York rapper that's being noticed nationally — it's only right. People are starting to pay attention to me and wanting to know what's going on up top." ... Scarface says he's taking a final bow. He wants the upcoming Emeritus to be his last solo LP. "I don't retire, I quit," he laughed, standing on a golf course in Houston. "It feels real good. The Emeritus record, the reason I'm so proud of it is because it's my last. I'm done, man. If you leave it up to me, I quit. Only thing that's gonna bring me back [is] if I do an album with somebody. Me, Cube and Nas do something, or me and Jigga and Beans do something. It's gotta be a trio or duo. Me and Bun B do a duo. That's why I took that name Emeritus, dude. Because I'm gone. I'm retiring with honors and still holding the position." The usually humble Uncle Face actually bragged a bit when talking about himself, his career and his newest album. "I'm not just one of the best in Houston, I'm one of the best in the world," he said with a grin. "My mama had to bring that to my attention. I think she's been on the Internet. She's been reading how good I am. I didn't realize how good I am until my mama told me." We heard Emeritus last week, and Face can definitely say he's going out on a high note. That intro from J. Prince is very interesting, and wait until you hear what Face has to say about Lil' Troy. Brutal. "I really discussed. I talked about sh-- that was relevant, that meant something," he said. "It's bigger than what I ride in. Bigger than where I live. Bigger than what I drink. Bigger than the jewels I rock. I got some good records." Face locked into his zone while recording, but did mange to take a break every day to swing on the greens. "When I was doing the Emeritus album, I was playing my ass off," he said about his love of golfing. "That's all we had to do. Come out here and play and go to the studio. I wanna play [Luther Campbell]. Me and Luke are gonna get together and do a hip-hop golf tournament. We should. It makes for a great tournament." Face said that besides Luke, he'd think about squaring off against the King of Crunk, Lil Jon. "I don't think Lil gonna wanna wrassle with me," Face said. "You better call Will Smith for me. ... Call the Fresh Prince for me. We was on tour with Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff. Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes when he was with Leaders of the New School. We had A Tribe Called Quest on the tour. How long I been in the game? Look at Q-Tip. Q-Tip is still relevant. I love that dude." Emeritus is slated for December 2. For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Videos | |
| What Is Steampunk? A Subculture Infiltrating Films, Music, Fashion, More Posted: 29 Sep 2008 05:00 AM PDT 'I never really imagined [steampunk] would become mainstream,' says musician Voltaire.
"Golden Compass." "BioShock." Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Goggles. These things might not seem to have much in common, but they're fundamental elements of a trend that's hiding in plain sight. Like a beacon of light out of the cyberpunk scene, "steampunk" is a sci-fi subculture that offers a fresh, romanticized view on technology by making it retro. Take a look and you'll see it all around you: In fashion, films, literature, bands, music videos, video games, maybe even in your own wardrobe.
Sci-fi usually connotes something from the future, but not always. The widely acknowledged founding fathers of steampunk, late-19th-century authors Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, took then-modern technology and set it in the steam age. Airships, submarines, typing tools and others objects were reimagined as mechanical devices that were powered by, you guessed it, steam. The term arose during the 1980s, when literature that basically transported cyberpunk tales into the past became popular. The aesthetic gradually spread into other art forms. The steampunk look reflects the Victorian and early Edwardian eras (roughly 1801-1910 — check out examples on The Frick Collection Web site). Corsets, gowns, frock coats and top hats are accompanied by goggles, ancillary wings, compasses and DIY accessories. Much like the extraordinary world of literature, steampunkers accept that everyday items can perform unconventional tasks. For example, a pocket watch would double as a time machine, or a compass could navigate you through the stars. Although steampunk is generally based in brown earth tones, the style is very similar to a traditional goth's black garb. Goth authority and musician Voltaire believes the connection is so close that most goths find it easy to transfer over to steampunk. "Steampunk came along, and all of a sudden, old-school goths find those kinds of aesthetics appealing," he said. Like most subcultures these days, the steampunk community grew on the Internet. Jaborwhalky.net co-founders Evelyn Kriete and G.D. Falksen have been monitoring the scene since its inception. Kriete credits the fashion phenomenon to an inventive steampunker, Kit Stolen. "He invented these hair falls, which almost appear like he's wearing electronics in his hair," she said. "There is a famous photo of him taken by Nadya Lev. She posted it to her Web site, and it started to get around. People were like, 'That looks good. What's this steampunk thing?' " You can find loads of steampunked-up apparel, tech and home decor online. The more ornate and intricate the creation, the more famous it is. Design sensation Jake Von Slot has given a practical, retro feel to computers, musical instruments and even an iPod. Fallen Angel Fashions & Brute Force Leather's Thomas Wileford has concentrated on creating extravagant metallic exoskeletons and atmosphere masks for air travel. "An arm like this is always custom-made: No two are ever alike, and they start at about $1,299," Wileford said. "So far, there's a six-month backup on getting them." Handmade retail sites like Etsy.com have also seen a growth from the trend. "Steampunk" is currently one of its top 10 most-searched terms, with 6,560 items posted. Clothing and jewelry sites are also delving into the look. Retroscope Fashions offers neo-Victorian/ gothic wear, and RockLove Jewelry offers neo-Victorian charms with modern-day sensibility. And for those concerned about cruelty to animals, companies like Fallen Angel Fashions & Brute Force Leather offer most items leather-free. (It's the only reason John Norris got into this.) Popular blogs like the British sites Brass Goggles and Coilhouse offer a place for others to exchange stories, DIY tips and the latest direction of the trend. And, of course, where would any self-respecting subculture be without its own music? While there's been much debate on the issue, steampunk-related music usually has orchestral characteristics, à la Rasputina, or it could also have a Tom Waits-esque metallic, gritty sound. A lot of steampunk bands offer amalgamations. Groups like the aptly named Vernian Process use synthesizers to create old-world instrumentation while using Victorian-themed lyrics. "I [chose the band's name] because of Jules Verne, father of the genre and the process," the group's Joshua A. Pfeiffer said. "Vernian Process is like the process of making steampunk music." Another great example is Dr. Steel, a hip-hop steampunker. Draped in a white lab coat, clad with ironworkers' goggles, he uses technology to promote a message of peace via strict control. Fans are promised a Utopian Playland and sublime entertainment if they become a member of his "Toy Soldiers" fan group.
Abney Park are probably the most visually mainstream band in the genre. With beginnings as a goth act, Abney found their calling as steampunk "airship pirates," and are happy with the musical vagueness of that designation. "You can't really pigeonhole all steampunk as a music genre," bassist Daniel C. said. "We can do a Victorian [acoustic] music set or we can do our live [electric] set; two completely different sounds, but the focus is considered steampunk." Of course, as these bands, fans and subgenres grew and found each other on the Internet over the past few years, it was just a matter of time before a summit took place. "There was the interest among the online community," Jaborwhalky's G.D. Falksen said. "What they really needed was someone to just say, 'Hey, you guys should talk to each other.' " And so it began. Under the guise of a neo-vintage festival, Salon Convention drew a minimal crowd in 2005. Then Dances of Vice came in 2006 and attracted even more, and this year's Salon Convention sold out. Now, steampunk has its own convention, Steamcon, which takes place October 23-25 at the Seattle Airport Marriott. Check out the forum for more information. With all this activity, it feels like just a matter of time before this underground scene moves above ground. Voltaire seems to think it's already happening. "I never really imagined it would become mainstream," he said. "But walking down the street the other day, I passed a Levis store. They had brown, acid-washed denim jeans [in the window] with a sort of ripped, old-timey shirt and a top hat floating over it. And I thought, 'By Jove, any second now there's going to be goggles on everything!' " Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
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