Last time, we looked at hip-hop sampling as a outgrowth of African polyphony, a way of creating something new by placing a different and contrasting line over the original. But there is more to it[…]
Category: Hip Hop
Black Music As Philosophy: We Invented the Remix, Part I
Hip-hop music is unique. It has been multiracial from the start, and it has been embraced and naturalized all over the globe, and yet it still retains a basic, unbreakable connection with its natal black[…]
Top 5 Epic Rap Battles of History
Back before Thug Notes or Drunk History, Epic Rap Battles first brought the distinctive Millennial high-culture/pop-culture blend to YouTube with their vision of what it would like if some of the great names of history[…]
Does Jay-Z’s 4:44 Live Up to Beyonce’s Lemonade?
Following the artistic leap forward represented by his wife’s album, Lemonade, it was a necessity for Sean “Jay-Z” Carter, AKA “Mr. Beyonce,” to respond with something that could reasonably be placed next to it on[…]
Philosophers Epic Rap Battle
It’s a visit to the lighter side of philosophy in popular culture this week with a look at the recent “Epic Rap Battle” production “Eastern Philosophers versus Western Philosophers.” The popular YouTube franchise ERB built[…]
Jason Chu: Illegal Immigration
This week, I’m showcasing the ever-righteous Jason Chu dropping a little knowledge on the hot button topic of “illegal immigration.”
Columbus Invitational Arts Competition 2015
Please join us for the 4th Annual Columbus Invitational Arts Competition, featuring the best local arts organizations competing head-to-head in the Performing Arts Showcase (this Saturday, August 22nd, 7-9pm, Columbus Performing Arts Center 549 Franklin[…]
Don’t Shoot – Original Music Video
Part II – Birth of a Protest Song I already spoke about what this video means, and why I think it’s meaningful/valuable, over at my friend Katelin’s blog (on race and religion) By Their Strange[…]
“Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine”: Philosophical Hip Hop
The trippy alternative hip-hop duo PM Dawn is a footnote in musical history, but for a brief time in the 90’s they were on top of the charts with their blend of new age dream[…]
“Pursuit of Happiness”: Philosophical Music – Hip Hop
The most striking thing about Kid Cudi’s 2009 song and video, Pursuit of Happiness, is the stark contrast between its superficial pleasures and deep miseries. The video presents much as many other hip-hop videos of[…]