Evolution of hip hop pt 3

Introducing............the one.....the only....RUN...D...M....C....

Yes. In the evolution of hip hop RUN DMC changed the game. When everybody else was doing the flashy clothes and life of the party rhymes. RUN DMC brought the street swagger to the party. Cats in the hood could identify with them. The gangsta fedoras. The leather jackets and let's not forget the Adidas.

They were also the first hip hop artists to bring rap music to the mainstream with platinum and multiplatinum albums. They also were the first rap act to get into the Billboard top 10 singles. Read more about them here

Time to rhyme

I have found my lyrical muse again.

It's been a while since I felt free to write. I think the fact that nowadays I want to say something in my raps that is significant has made it a little more complex and hampered my freedom in writing. Now I just say what's on my mind and on my heart with no particular agenda and it just flows. It's all about expression.

These days I'm so motivated. Here is my writing plan:

1. Freestyle rhymes into a voice recorder once a day
2. Compile those rhymes at the end of the week into a verse
3. In less than 2 weeks I will have complete songs.

Another thing that has been stoppin me is that I try to hard to make the first verse like the last one. At least in quality. So the rhyme scheme that everybody was luvin and sayin that's hot I try to recreate it in the next song. It only adds to my frustration and holds back my creativity by being an imitator and molded by the crowd. Moved by the crowd. No I'm an mc. I move the crowd.

time for blogging

It's so difficult to find time to blog.
I am a blog sick soul.
Longing for the keyboard.
Staring blankly at an imaginary screen
while the images of my life are
uploaded from eternity.

evolution of hip hop pt 2

One of the biggest things in the hip hop culture is the battle. The test of skill. The ruthless competition. The sweetness of victory and the agony of defeat.

Before Biggie and Pac, Before Nas and Jay, Before 50 and everybody in the rap game there was Busy Bee Starski vs. Kool Moe Dee. Kool Moe Dee cleaned up the floor with Busy. My favorite line is put the "Ba Didi Ba B.S. on hold" You can check out clips of this battle here

The evolution of Hip Hop pt 1

One man who has been significant in the evolution of hip hop is Gil Scott Rightly called the godfather of conscious hip hop Gil-Scott brought powerfully charged spoken word to smooth jazz pieces. He is the forerunner for rap artists such as Common, Mos Def, Dead Prez, and Boogie Down Productions.

Almost done with LOTR

In January I picked up J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and I am almost done. It was a task to read a fiction book this long. Usually they don't grab me but Tolkien's world of elves, hobbits, dwarves, and wizards makes me not want to put the book down. I am an official fan now and I can answer most of the questions from the quiz on this LOTR site Try it and see if u r a real fan!

My day off

Yesterday was my day off. It is so hard to stay away from emails and phone calls that need to be made but yesterday I triumphed with Yvette and we went shopping for Christmas presents, a Christmas tree, and some clothes for us. Also had a great cheesesteak. It's been a while since I had something that tasty. It was enough to make me worship God. After all that's what the sabbath is for...right?

Two whole weeks

Its been two weeks since I posted. Bad blogger! I promise I'll do better. I've been so busy. Things have just gotten out of hand for me. If only I could get myself organized. I think Im also depressed. Who knows?

Why I love Ethiopia?

Why I love Ethiopia?

1. Doro wat
2. Rich christian tradition
3. The only african country that has not been colonized
4. Birthplace of coffee
5. The ark of the covenant is supposed to be in Ethiopia
6. Did I mention Doro wat?
7. The Blue Nile falls
8. The little blue taxis and the wayallas saying Bole Bole Bole!
9. The rich history of kings
10. Beautiful people with excellent hospitality

A flaw in my idea

I originally intended for my wife and I to blog together on thisw blog but how will you know which one of us entered which post. Lightbulb. Look at the bottom cuz we will sign each one

-Ramon

The Bible with translation notes. Cooool

The Net Bible comes with translation notes, study notes, and the original manuscript. Now you can get the real meaning of the text ;)

Kenyan hip hop scene

Hip hop is exploding in Africa. Check the latest story at allafrica.com The title is Kenya seen through Hip-Hop. In the article the writer says "hip-hop has proved to be a suitable medium and most people see it as a point of convergence for people of all cultures"

Just another example of how hip hop is a viable tool for communication across continents and cultures...especially among the youth of the world.

Ethiopia/Eritrea Border Dispute

Here is the latest news on the Ethiopia/Eritrea border dispute Things are not looking good considering that we are planning to return in January. Please pray for us as we have alot of decisions to make. Pray for the peace of Ethiopia.

Top ten Christmas movies

Here's my top ten Christmas movies

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (The Jim Carrey Version)
2. The Night before Christmas (Tim Burton is mad ill!)
3. Scrooge (The Bill Murray version)
4. Home Alone 1 and 2 (Before Macaulay was hanging with MJ)
5. Miracle on 34th St. (Is he Santa Claus or an old man who lost his marbles?)
6. Gremlins (Little green men raise hell in a small town on Christmas eve)
7. It's a wonderful life (Everybody needs a second chance)
8. Die hard (Spend Christmas fighting terrorists)
9. Friday after next (Santa Claus goes around jackin everybody in the hood)
10. Trading places (It's funny to see Bill Murray as a drunk Santa Claus)

What's your favorite Christmas movie?

Officially Christmastime

It is after Thanksgiving and officially Christmastime. Speaking of Christmastime I am realizing that I have an egg nog addiction. I love the stuff. I can't help it. Do they have a twelve step program for eggnogaholics(made up word)?

This is the story

This is the story of our lives. Marriage, faith, God, hip hop, relationships, culture, travel, pictures, movies, music, food, smiles, tears. It's all part of the madness of life. The Mayo madness :)