I was invited to the Onyx a few months ago to support Tee Huffman who was the featured poet at 'Afterwords'. Jona Crooner, 'Afterwords' organizer, was leaving town for an opportunity to promote his latest venture. I caught up with him last week. He took the time to draft his thoughts regarding the Birmingham Hip Hop Scene.
According to Jona Croner...
The Hip Hop Scene is alive but not well....From time to time you can see glimpses of what could be if the Artists,Poets,and supporters of the Culture would come together and actually build it up, but I personally hold each contributor accountable for the upkeep and cultivation of Hip Hop in the raw form..I am a music lover so to point the demise of Hip Hop to the now trendy "Rap" scene of today in my opinion is a Cop-out...Music is about expression and it just so happened that the Hip Hop Artist paints the picture on a canvas and many of today's rap artist only feel the need to crayola on a track... nevertheless...As a Artist I never judge (often criticize) but when its all said and done, as far as Birmingham is concerned, I celebrate the musicians and talents on any level.
I first was introduced to Hip Hop and Rap in the days of WENN and later experienced the actual culture that is Hip Hop while living in Japan for some years. The break dancing battles at the train-station, the weekend rap battles that changed clubs more than I care to mention pulled me into a totally new yet vibrant practice I use from time to time in my music though the lifestyle is far different than in Nippon.
I noticed the emergence of Soul Artists and troops of Poets as I toured throughout Alabama in early 2005, I often would run into many of the Artists that I grew up listening to as a young beatbox toting youngin'. My older cousin, Cano, was very vital in me truly respecting the art of beatmaking and I contribute a large part of my musical prowess as it pertains to rhyming to him and others such as S.Fly and Red Light District.
Fast-forward...you can see the rise of Birmingham artists such as Jaafar, J.Gray and many others that I feel if collaborated with a Hip Hop feel in mind could create some dynamic music as well as aid and assist in Birmingham attaining the level and respect musically we deserve. I appreciate all the contributors who keep the flame of what the essence of Hip Hop is about alive and I am never surprised when I hear the talent being displayed by anyone from Bham because I always knew the city has a "Magic"--foreal--that if used often can spark some genius sounds in any genre especially Hip Hop.
I would address the role that the radio station plays in the strangulation of Real Hip Hop talent in Birmingham and the genre as a whole, but words can't get passed the disgust I have for how "real" Artists are treated by the "powers that be"...
See posts by Chris Coleman and Jon DJ Supreme Malone.
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