Big Makes XXL Mag Cover (2012 Hip Hop)

WE ARE HIP HOP! ARE YOU?

To commemorate the 15th anniversary since the death of possibly the greatest rapper ever, XXL paid tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. with the March 2012 issue of the magazine. The magazine caught up with Biggie associates including Faith Evans and Junior M.A.F.I.A. to pay tribute to the slain rapper, who was taken from us on March 9, 1997. Issue hits newsstands on February 7th:

Most even disclosed rare, never-before-published photos of Biggie from their personal collections, which are featured in this month’s issue. Since Big was the most swagger-jacked rapper of all time, there’s a list of the 100 best Biggie bites, a look a what The Notorious One might have looked like at 40 plus much more in the magazine.

View the original article here

You Know youve made crazy impact when you been past and still make the cover like you never left.All i can say is Big has been one of the greatest and will remain the one of the greatest ever to do it.And really i think if he never died that music would not be in the state its in now.Forever gonna miss Big Poppa.

Battle Of Legends Krs-One VS Rakim

KRS-One VS Rakim

Ok so i wanted to start my life of posts in here with some classics two guys that paved the way for many other people to have a chance in this thing called hip hop.

KRS-ONE

Lawrence Krisna Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (an acronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone), and Teacha, is an American rapper. At the 2008 BET Awards, KRS-One was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for all his work and effort towards the Stop the Violence Movement as well as the overall pioneering of hip hop music and culture.

Needless to say this man does work he played a major role in hip hop music and its culture.Yes i can sit here and tell you all his accomplishments but this is a battle lets get to facts and albums.

We can start with my personal favorite.

Criminal Minded

Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions
 is a highly influential^[1] hip hop album. Production on the LP is credited to 'Blastmaster' KRS-One(Lawrence Krisna Parker) and DJ Scott La Rock (Scott Sterling), but in interviews it has been revealed that an uncredited Ced-Gee (Cedric Miller) of The Ultramagnetic MCs had a key role in crafting the sound of the LP - the back cover, however, carries the message "a special thanks to Ced Gee".

just a little more background i thought was interesting

Released in early 1987, the album heavily sampled records from James Brown and AC/DC and also had a dancehall reggae influence. The songs “South Bronx” and “The Bridge is Over” ignited the rivalry with the Queens-bred emcee MC Shan and the Juice Crew .

The album is also credited with providing a prototype for East Coast gangsta rap. For instance, the cover, which showcases Parker and Sterling surrounded by an arsenal of weapons, was hip-hop’s first major release to feature members brandishing firearms. The album also contained several seminal hardcore songs such as “9mm Goes Bang,” one of the first hip-hop songs to be based around a first-person crime narrative, and "P Is Free," which details an encounter with a drug-abusing prostitute.

The liner notes of Criminal Minded read, "peace to Ron Nelson and the Toronto posse". This statement is evidence of BDP's involvement with Toronto's hip hop scene in the 1980s, which produced artists such as Michie Mee, Dream Warriors and Maestro Fresh Wes.^[2]

MY FAVORITE KRS-ONE SONG

RAKIM

William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), known by his stage names Rakim (or simply Ra), Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time.^[1][2][3][4] Eric B. & Rakim's classic album Paid in Full was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV,^[5] while Rakim himself was ranked #4 on MTV's list of the Greatest MCs of All Time.^[6] Steve Huey of Allmusic stated that "Rakim is near-universally acknowledged as one of the greatest MCs -- perhaps the greatest -- of all time within the hip-hop community."^[7] The editors of About.com ranked him #1 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).^[8] Rakim began his career as the emcee of the rap duo Eric B. & Rakim.

SIDE NOTE ABOUT RAKIMS EARLIER LIFE

Rakim is the nephew of American R&B singer and actress Ruth Brown. He grew up in Wyandanch, New York, and became involved in the New York hip hop scene at 18. Eric B. brought him to Marley Marl's house to record "Eric B. is President." At the time Griffin was fresh out of high school and on his way to college, but he decided to forgo higher education and instead chose to record with Eric B.^[1]

Griffin then known as Kid Wizard was introduced to the Nation of Islam in 1986, joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as the 5 Percent Nation), and took the name Rakim Allah.^[9]

My favorite rakim album

PAID IN FULL

On July 7, 1987, the duo released their debut album, Paid in Full, on the Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl's home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim's response to Eric B.'s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1984. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard200 chart and produced five singles: "Eric B. Is President", "I Ain't No Joke", "I Know You Got Soul", "Move the Crowd", and "Paid in Full".

"Eric B. Is President" was released as the first single with "My Melody" as the B-side.^[10] It peaked at number forty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number forty on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales.^[11] The track sparked debate on the legality of unauthorized sampling when James Brown sued to prevent the duo's use of his music.^[12] PopMatters' Mark Anthony Nealcalled it "the most danceable hip-hop recording" of 1986.^[13] Touré of The New York Times wrote of the song, "It is Rakim's verbal dexterity as well as his calm, deep voice and dark tone that has made this song a rap classic: 'I came in the door/ I said it before/ I'll never let the mic magnetize me no more/ But it's bitin' me/ Fightin' me/ Invitin' me to rhyme/ I can't hold it back/ I'm looking for the line/ Takin' off my coat/ Clearin' my throat/ The rhyme will be kickin' it/ Til I hit my last note.'"^[14] The second single, "I Ain't No Joke", peaked at number thirty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.^[11] Described as one of the album's "monumental singles",^[15] Michael Di Bella wrote in the All Music Guide to Rock that "Rakim grabs the listener by the throat and illustrates his mastery of the rhyming craft".^[16]

The third single, "I Know You Got Soul", peaked at number thirty-nine on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, number thirty-four on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and number sixty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.^[11] The track's production contains "digitized cymbal crashes, breathing sounds, and a bumping bass line."^[17] The song popularized James Brown samples in hip hop songs.^[18] The British band M|A|R|R|S sampled the line, "Pump up the volume", on their number one UK single, "Pump Up the Volume".^[19] Rolling Stone ranked it at number 386 on "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[20] The fourth single, "Move the Crowd", peaked at number three on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number twenty-five on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales.^[11] The track's b-side, "Paid in Full", was released as a single in 1987 and later remixed by the production duo Coldcut. The remix used several vocal samples, most prominently "Im Nin'Alu" byIsraeli singer Ofra Haza.^[19] In 2008, the song was ranked at number twenty-four on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs".^[21]

MY FAVORITE RAKIM SONG

The point of this battle is for you the fans of hip hop to share your views and to teach some of you that mite love hip hop as much as i do. But have not seen or didn't know that much about these hip hop legends. I will not pick the winner that is up to y'all leave your feedback and votes in the comment box thank you.

Written By Sincere Johnson For PRETTY DIRTBALL RECORDS