February 20, 2012 in Culture, Food Clothing &Hip Hop, Hip Hop, History, Music, Sa-Roc
i only discovered the funky four after i started rhyming, but they provided an important piece to my hip hop history lesson, being the first crew to feature a female mc, sha rock.
February 19, 2012 in Afrika, Culture, EVENTS, God Hop Movement, History, Incredible Findings, Interviews, Life Experience, Moors, On the Scene, Sa-Roc
sol messiah and i got a chance to see the powerful brotha and his wife speak yesterday at the shrine of the black madonna in atlanta. if you missed it, here’s a video of the brotha building. this is brain food. eat up.
February 18, 2012 in Afrika, Astro Chronicles, Culture, Disography, Ether Warz, EVENTS, Fashion, Food, Food Clothing &Hip Hop, FYI, God Hop Movement, Health, Hip Hop, History, Incredible Findings, Interviews, Journey of a Starseed, Life Experience, Merchandise, Moors, Movies, Music, NOVELS, On the Scene, Performances, Photo Blogging, Quotables, Sa-Roc, Sa-Roc TV, Science, Spoken Word, Supernova, Video Blogging
Esperanza Spalding – Black Gold (feat. Algebra Blessett) from Concrete Loop on Vimeo.
this is a beautiful and inspirational song and video AAAAAAND i want esperanza’s earrings!
February 18, 2012 in Afrika, Culture, Ether Warz, Fashion, Food Clothing &Hip Hop, FYI, God Hop Movement, Hip Hop, History, Incredible Findings, Life Experience, Moors, Movies, On the Scene, Sa-Roc, Science, Supernova
February 18, 2012 in Afrika, Culture, FYI, God Hop Movement, Hip Hop, History, Incredible Findings, Moors, Music, On the Scene, Photo Blogging, Sa-Roc, Science, Supernova
Often called “hip hop’s Gordon Parks”, renowned photographer Jamel Shabazz has certainly earned the title in his own right. Two of his books, “A Time Before Crack” and “Back in the Days”, helped to establish him as an important documentarian of Hip Hop, as they captured the essence and culture in a way that hadn’t been done before. He wasn’t featuring famous rappers or djs, but regular folks rocking Cazals, shell toes, and asymmetricals in the 80s and 90s. It wasn’t dressed up or airbrushed. They were real and honest photographs of everyday Black life during the glorious era of Hip Hop.
I first discovered his work in the mid 90s, when they began popping up in Urban Outfitters. I would gaze at the photographs, wishing I had been born 10 years earlier so that i could experience the energy, newness, and authenticity of the culture. Shabazz’s perspective was warm and familiar. You could sense the care he had for us, as he most often captured positive images of his subjects smiling and having fun.
Being a teenager without a job, I never got the chance to cop one of his books. Now that I am learning and growing as an emcee, I feel that his photos are integral to overstanding the heart of the culture. With the music as my soundtrack, his photos would be the visual representation of the golden era. So this time around, I WILL be getting my copies to share with my unborn children, to support this cultural preservation. And i think you should too. http://www.amazon.com/Time-Before-Crack-Jamel-Shabazz/dp/1576872130/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
http://www.amazon.com/Back-Days-Jamel-Shabazz/dp/1576871061/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329576579&sr=1-1
February 18, 2012 in Afrika, Astro Chronicles, Culture, Disography, Ether Warz, EVENTS, Fashion, Food, Food Clothing &Hip Hop, FYI, God Hop Movement, Health, Hip Hop, History, Incredible Findings, Interviews, Journey of a Starseed, Life Experience, Merchandise, On the Scene, Performances, Sa-Roc, Sa-Roc TV, Science, Spoken Word, Supernova
a new joint from one of my favorite rappers, sadat x, from brand nubian.
February 18, 2012 in Afrika, Culture, Ether Warz, FYI, God Hop Movement, Health, History, Incredible Findings, Sa-Roc, Science
February 16, 2012 in Culture, Hip Hop, History, Interviews, Sa-Roc
She’s classy, she’s conscious and she’s super stylish. Sa-Roc has fast become one of the top icons of the hip hop underground scene. Her music is positive, authentic and free of any gimmicks. It’s rare to be able to sit through a hip hop album comfortably with the entire family without having to have the mute button on standby waiting for the inevitable abuse of the f-bomb, but you can with a Sa-Roc album. Sa-Roc’s Afrikan centered upbringing translates through all of her music and has earned her a monumental following amongst all ages of the conscious community. Read More here
She’s classy, she’s conscious and she’s super stylish. Sa-Roc
But it’s not just the music that the listeners hooked… Sa-Roc is has also emerged as a hugely influential fashion icon. Soul Train wanted to find out more about this phenomenal femcee.
Soul Train: Sa-roc, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by Soultrain. You have the underground scene buzzing right now.
What is it about you and your music that has captured the hearts and minds of so many music lovers?
Sa-Roc: I think it’s the combination of the chemistry that myself and Sol Messiah, my producer/DJ, have on a record and the lyrical content that I bring. Sol is a veteran in the game and he knows how to marry certain sounds, samples, and rhythms with the timbre of my voice. People definitely feel that. Also, my music speaks of elevation- mentally, physically, and spiritually. It’s almost the antithesis of what’s happening in mainstream hip hop right now. People want to hear something different. I think I bring that to the table.
Soul Train: Your fans appear to be a very broad age range. How seriously do you take your responsibility as a role model?
Sa-Roc: I take it very seriously. Everything we do, seen or unseen, has an impact on someONE or someTHING. It’s important to think about what legacy we are leaving for our children and children’s children. We are all role models. Like it or not, someone’s modeling themselves after us. I choose to show an example of positivity at all times while staying true to myself.
Soul Train: Your music is reminiscent of that ‘Old School’ hip hop flava, who did the young Sa-Roc grow up listening to?
Sa-Roc: Funnily enough, it wasn’t that much hip hop! I was 12 years old listening to Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, the Cranberries and Lenny Kravitz. Of course I had my favorites in hip hop, like Outkast, KRS ONE, and Snoop Dogg, but it was mainly this eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and r&b.
Soul Train: What is your favorite Sa-Roc track and why?
Sa-Roc: That’s so hard. I have many favorites but I would have to go with “I AM the I AM”. This song talks about being a part of the ALL, that universal consciousness that animates everything in existence, from water, to a tree, to a Hindu deity, to a verse from Rakim. It’s very empowering, that one. And the beat goes SUPER hard! The crowd always rocks with me on that track.
Soul Train: You have a very distinctive look, where do you get your fashion inspiration from?
Sa-Roc: I get my inspiration from a very traditional and cultural beauty aesthetic. From the Masai women of Kenya to the Fulani women in Mali, all the way to the women of Rajasthan, I get plenty of style tips. You’ll see me rocking bold and colorful prints, stacks of bangles, and African fabrics. I like to combine traditional with new age style, so you might catch me with a sari and some Cazals on one day.
Soul Train: Can you tell us who some of your favorite designers are (and why)?
Sa-Roc: Hekima Hapa of Harriet’s Alter Ego and Tennille Mcmillan of Nakimuli. I LOVE their style! I’ve been rocking Harriet’s gear for almost eight years now. Hekima knows how to fuse cultural prints with that new hip hop culture perfectly. She’s a must for the forward thinking fashionista. Her pieces are mainstays in my closet. Tennille (of Nakimuli) makes the DOPEST leggings in the world! She has the flyest prints and eye popping colors. I get stopped whenever and wherever I wear them.
Soul Train: When you are not on the road, where are some of your favorite places to unwind?
Sa-Roc: I love eating, so most likely they’ll involve food. Restaurants like Soul Vegetarian (yes I am vegan) and Tassili’s Raw Reality are staples. But I don’t get out too much when I’m not on the road. I’m sort of a home body.
Soul Train: When you are at home, how do you choose to unwind?
Sa-Roc: I love to read, so my nose is always in a book. I like to watch clips of Mike Epps and Katt Williams on YouTube. They have me rolling! I also meditate daily to clear my mind and allow for self reflection.
Soul Train:What’s in the pipeline for Sa-Roc ?
Sa-Roc: I have a new album called Ether Warz that should be finished by the end of the summer. I’m very excited about the new material. It’s gonna be something totally left field. Dope music, doper content. I also have some tours starting at the end of this month. I love to perform, so that’s gonna be the highlight of my summer. I have a new t-shirt line coming very soon and I’ll be expanding on my television show, SarocTV.
Soul Train: Where can our readers find you?
Sa-Roc: Y’all can catch me at www.sarocthemc.com
February 12, 2012 in Culture, FYI, Hip Hop, History, Music, Photo Blogging, Sa-Roc TV
She gave light to every little brown girl around the world. Whitney we love you.