HIP HOP MAG by Kush Shah

HIP HOP MAG IND 100 12.2012 first edition

NICKI MINAJ • LUPE FIASCO • DREPH • BLUEY ROBINSON

HIP HOP MAG

FROM THE EDITOR Most people may know about the famous hip-hop culture, a culture that was started by the AfricanAmericans on the streets of New York and Los Angeles. A culture that was responsible for the birth of Deejays, Rappers, Graffiti artists, Beat Boxers and B- Boying dancers. Music is a part of almost everyone’s lives and now Rapping is a part of a lot of music. Today’s music plays a major role in shaping the children’s lives, children who follow music. I too have been a fan of music since childhood. Honestly, till date, Eminem speaking out indecipherable words at a high pace with a strong beat playing in the back has been the most fascinating of all.Yes, the lyrics are termed “EXPLICIT” for a reason. The music videos are unsuitable for children until a certain age. Yes it is considered to be the worst music by most parents because of the amount of negative influence it creates (I love it though). Why is it such? What made it that way? Was it the same when it started? I am sure most music lovers would want to know about it. So here is where you look. This publication comes with the latest news, fashions and reviews in modern hip-hop, contemporary pop, and R&B, with the promise of providing every reader with knowledge and entertainment of urban music, as well as awareness of the history. Grab up all the information you can. Its journey has only just begun.This is the first issue of HIP HOP MAG. I thank you all for your support and I hope further issues of HIP HOP MAG keep getting better. Together we can make this happen. Cheers!

Credits: issuu.com

wikipedia.com globe.com.ph music.newcity.com paulmitchell.edu api.ning.com kpophot.com images6.fanpop.com vip-entertainment.com.au 25.media.tumblr.com blog.invention.smithsonian.org thedoll.org blogs.suntimes.com familytalk.ca 0.tqn.com lemonsandbeans.com thekidtrodd.com vegasseven.com streetz106.com auto-types.com futureofflorida.com rockfreshradio.com fanart.tv wallpowper.com images.wikia.com openwalls.com

EDITOR

Kushah

cOnTENTS

HEART TO HEART WITH BLUEY ROBINSON

COCAINE IS NOT BAD ITS EVEN WORSE

DREPH AND HIS WALLS

THE GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM PT.1

HIP HOP MAG

CONTENTS

ALTER EGOS OF NICKI MINAJ

A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAP

BLUEY ROBINSON

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did you know? Vibe magazine launched the “Best Rapper Alive Tournament” on July 21, 2008. There were four brackets, and four number 1 seeds: Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and A ndre 3000. The actual final four included Ludacris, The Game, Eminem and Jay-Z. The last two rappers standing were Eminem and Jay-Z, with Eminem eventually garnering 69% of the votes for the victory. When Em heard the news, he stated: “It’s obviously an honor to have won the fans’ support by being voted the Best Rapper Alive. I don’t think that there is any one rapper that is simply the best though. Everyone who was in consideration and many others are the best at certain things, and at what they do. But since VIBE’s offering the distinction, hell yeah I’ll accept!”

HIP HOP MAG

BLUEY ROBINSON

HEART TO HEART WITH

BLUEY ROBINSON By Ayaz Hussain

How many people can say they have worked with the likes of Labrinth, toured with Tinie Tempah and been remixed by Ryan Leslie before the age of 23? I guess not many of you. Well one man who has completed this incredible feat goes by the name ‘BLUEY ROBINSON’ For those who don’t know about Bluey Robinson, give us a brief insight into your story up to where you are today. I grew up listening to a lot of Jackson Five and motown music. It’s not like it was played in my house a lot but we just had some vinyls and I just loved Michael Jackson from seeing him on TV and stuff. So I always wanted to be a singer based off that feeling that music gave me and I carried on performing and singing growing up through school at performances and eventually I formed a group with some school friends, that didn’t work out so I had to go solo, working with loads of different producers, trying to get my name out there writing and perfecting my craft a little bit. Eventually I met my manager, who’s still my manager today and we started doing the online videos of me singing out in public which got me a bit of attention from the UK music scene. So I kept building up my name doing loads of shows and supporting a few different people and eventually got signed to Sony, put out some songs, and yeah, I’m here today. Two of your tracks “Showgirl” and “Coming Back” are what many would call feel-good, genre crossover songs. What variety of influences brought this mix of genres together? Like I said, I love that old-school, Showgirl has got that kind of funk and that soul that Labrinth and I both love. I always wanted to have that influence in my music

because it makes me feel good, it gives me the most joy. The same goes for Coming Back, it’s got retro “boom-ka-boom-kaka” soul feel. But I also like popular music that’s out today, not all of it, but a lot of it, and I want to try and make songs that are commercially viable and like you say I want to cross over genres to make new and exciting music. There’s a real element of soul in your voice that can best be heard in your refix of I Need A Dollar…. How did you upbringing mould your sound into what it is today? A kind of discovered this whole side of me by myself. My mum listened to a lot of reggae, especially Bob Marley, so I always had that rootsy kind of soul and music with a message vibe. I really connect to music with a feeling to it and so I kind of discovered a lot of music by searching for it, or from hearing it on the radio or from people showing it to me. Music is what I love and it’s what speaks out to me, I mean I started out making typical R&B because that’s what producers were making and that seemed what I should be making because I’m a black mixed race urban kind of singer from the UK, but I started to think to myself I’m a bit more than this and I want to experiment a bit more, and that’s when I started to throw the old school in. How did the Soul Sessions begin? When I met my manager, we kind of both knew you have to have an online presence

in this day and age to make a name for yourself. Most of the time people are just sitting in their room, singing straight at a camera but we wanted to be a bit different and see a bit more of my personality and fun side. Initially I was just going to go out in Trafalgar Square and sing, but it didn’t work out because of too much background noise from the fountains and crowds. So off the cuff we decided to go onto the Underground and the acoustics were great and it worked out dope! We carried on from there in Harrods, Paris and New York and it really took off online! What was it like supporting Tinie Tempah on his UK tour? Amazing! It was Tinie’s first headline tour, and it was the first tour I’ve ever done and it was really lovely for him to invite me because we’re from the same area, and I’ve known him since he was in school. It was a great feeling to be travelling around the country performing our music together. It was wicked but a bit surreal to be experiencing the tour lifestyle. What part of your journey so far has been most inspiring to you? There’s been a lot of things along the way that have inspired me, especially the Justin Bieber tour. Simply for the fact that I got to see what it’s like at the top, when there’s fans out there screaming your name in front of 20,000 capacity arenas. So I was mind blown a little bit, and knew this is what I wanna do, to be able perform around the world and have any many people as possible hear my music. Are we in for an EP or album soon? Definitely! I’ve been working on an EP for the last couple of months with a real summertime vibe and a message behind it. I’m writing it all myself, no co-writes or anything so far, it’s been a real fun experience. It’s called “The Late Shift EP” as of now, but that could change. It’ll be out on iTunes near the end of the Summer.

BLUEY ROBINSON

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of the time people are just sitting in their room, singing straight at a camera but we wanted to be a bit different and see a bit more of my personality and fun side. So I was just going to go out in Trafalgar Square and sing.â&#x20AC;?

After the sweeping craze of Afrobeats worldwide thanks to artists like D’Banj, do you see yourself experimenting with these kinds of beats or other genres? Yeah! I Like afrobeats, I hear it on the radio all the time! Can you hear that? *dances* They’re playing Oliver Twist right now! I’ve already experimented with it a little bit. One song off the EP has got an element of it, it’s a bit tribal with a bit of old school garage in it. It sounds good! I’m open to experimenting; I don’t want to get tied to one genre because I like all different kinds of music. But I haven’t really done a house track or anything like that. What new sounds are on your iPod that you can’t get enough of? Let’s have a look, I’ve got Encore by Cheryl Lynn, that’s got 1983 written next

to it, Dance Tonight by Lucy Pearl, Chakha Khan, Earth Wind and Fire. I’m not really up to date with today’s music am I? I’m getting stuck behind! I’ve been listening to a girl called Elle Varner, she’s quite a new artist who my boy Bally got me introduced to, I checked out some of her stuff and I think she’s really good. Got a bit of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Andre 3000, some Rick James on here [strums air guitar] Can I steal your iPod please? [Laughs] You have taste my friend! What direction do you see for the future of the UK music scene going in? Hopefully it’ll become like America where there’s an audience for everything but obviously we’re a smaller country. They’ve got a big hip-hop scene out there but the

BLUEY ROBINSON

audience over here is more mainstream. We have a few breakthrough artists, but it never really pops off big time! The music seems to go around in circles, from the dance craze, to the people who want to bring it down to the bare roots or take it back old school. Hopefully more genres crossing like rock R&B and stuff but hopefully somewhere good, where I fit in! What does the future hold for Bluey Robinson? Where do you see you and your music being in 5 years time? I’d love to be known around the world and my music to be loved. That’s what I’m here for, I’m doing this to go as far as I can. I hope I’m enjoying it as much as I am now, I want to be able to look after my family and to inspire some people, so I can carry on for another five or ten years.

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What advice can you give to upcoming artists trying get noticed? Do something crazy! Be yourself. I mean you can “not be yourself”, it works for some people. But find out what you like and the things that reflect you and blow them up so the whole world can see. Develop yourself and be as good as you can be, keep working and eventually people will wake up and they will take notice of you. Any shoutouts you wanna give? Shout out to Bally (Bluey’s manager) and Christian (guitarist), the whole London Village kids, F Street, my family, shout out you guys and York! It’s up to it! And to people who are nice in the world. Peace. Thank you. ■ Check out www.blueyrobinson.com for more him.

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BLUEY ROBINSON

“I got to see what it’s like at the top, when there’s fans out there screaming your name in front of 20,000 capacity arenas” 13

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BLUEY ROBINSON

COCAINE

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COCAINE is not bad its even worse! By Samantha Williamson

Heard a lot about the drug? Cocaine can be snorted, injected and even smoked in some forms of it. In all cases cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant which affects the brainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s processing of dopamine. Has cocaine become a problem for you already? 15

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COCAINE

o, you have just moved into student halls. It is the first time you have had to fend for yourself and you are feeling exhilarated, nervous and independent. Your parents have always dictated the choices you make and you are finally free from their clutches. Your new flatmates ask you if you fancy going out on the ‘lash’. You say yes, before you have had chance to unpack your life from your suitcase, you are already in the first bar!

About two hours of drinking alcohol, one of your new found friends ask to go the toilet. While in the toilet, your friend pulls out a small bag of white powder and asks if you want some?

this incredibly dangerous and incorrect information, you choose? Without your parents influence ? What do you choose? What is right and what is wrong? What are the facts and the myths?

Your reaction is curious, and as we all know ‘curiosity did kill the cat.’ You ask what it is and your friend says ‘Coke’, you ask what it does and your friend replies ‘heightens your senses’. After being given

Well here are the facts. The substance your friend has just offered you is powder cocaine. For the effects to work you have to ‘snort’ it through nose. Now I am quite ‘a cleanliness is godliness’ type of

person and for me, snorting white powder up your nose and sharing the same instrument as your friend has just used, doesn’t cut it! The ‘high’ you get off it, is short lived. Short lived, means, you need more to ‘get you off your head’, equalling more money being spent. This can lead to empty shelves in your food cupboards. Then, swallowing your pride and calling your parents (that you

were dying to get away from) and asking them to bail you out! Next, cocaine is known to be addictive, can you hear the alarm bells ringing! Furthermore, (yes, there is more) the ‘comedown’ is long and depressing which can last for a number of days. Yes, days not hours... DAYS!!!! Now without rambling on and destroying your new found freedom of becoming independent, if one knows all the information he will be able to make

a sensible decision, based on the facts. Here is a legitimate website: www.talktofrank.com/drug/cocaine.

It has the facts on most drugs you may ever come into contact with! You will be informed and perhaps (ten years down the line) protesting about drugs before you know it! Good luck and choose right, remember your choices will have an impact on your future. ■

HIP HOP MAG

BLUEY ROBINSON

DREPH AND HIS WALLS

DREPH

HIP HOP MAG

By Nev

and his walls

For most of you this guy needs no introduction, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re into graffiti at all, if you saw issue 1 of Bomb Alert (10 years ago already!!!) or have been lucky enough to see his work in the flesh, you know DREPH 19

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DREPH AND HIS WALLS

reph sums up what graffiti is all about, a good all rounder. All elements and more, fresh letter style, simple and no need for crazy wildstyles! Mad use of colour, tech fills, trains, streets, huge tags, burning walls and even exhibition worthy artwork (Yep it’s separate). We caught up with him to find out some history, his travels and influences.

You seem to be involved in all elements of graffiti from street bombing to trains to some of the freshest walls in the country but who would you say you are? I guess I’m an all or nothing kind of guy and 26 years on I’m still passionate about this shit. My motivations have changed and real life stuff means I don’t dedicate as much time to it as I would like to. Graff doesn’t define me but it’s what I do and a large part of who I am.

Who/what was your influences and when did you start? I started in 85 with the publication of ‘Subway art’ as did many of my generation. Graff was nonexistent in my town but

Today my vast inspiration includes Pixação, Philly handstyles,70’s New York graffiti, Puppetry, 80’s British underground comics, expressionism, and Base music.

there were two local writers, Jecta from Windsor and yoyo from Slough. We were 11 and whenever we knew of a new piece, we would go check it out and marvel. They were the first pieces we had seen painted using Buntlack.We looked up to those guys and seeing these larger than life pieces in the flesh gave context to what we were seeing in subway art. In the early 90’s I started taking my characters more seriously after meeting the Iconoclast guys in Birmingham in 1992. Through them I met Shok1 and we painted together and shared ideas for many years. The book Paris Tonka also made a big impression on me, in particular the work of Mode2 and No.6.

So what crews do you write with? My first crew was snc (Suicidal Network Children) and later I joined bnb (Bad Nubeing Brothers). Neither crew are still active but we are still good friends and I have good memories of the times we spent hanging out. What are your favorite elements of graffiti as a whole? The tradition, challenge, ambience, anticipation, adrenaline, sense of freedom, adventure, exploration, danger, preparation, planning and execution.

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DREPH AND HIS WALLS

You’ve travelled and painted a lot, I remember seeing some characters you did in Kenya. What is the attitude to graffiti like there? I started painting because in some way it challenged the status quo, as an escape and most importantly it was fun, 26 years on I have realized that my motivation has changed, as has the world we live in. Graffiti is accessible, it’s no longer a secret underground movement, and it’s dismissed as a known quantity by the masses. In Europe it’s the background noise of our urban landscape to all but those that write. But there are many cities in the world where they don’t know anything about graff. Painting in places like Dubai or Nairobi is something special. It’s refreshing to know that the ordinary people who are watching you have never seen anything like New York style graffiti being done before. I’ve had some of the most interesting exchanges when painting off the beaten track. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had with graffiti? Myself, the DRS guys from Rotterdam and a few friends were chilling with the Gap crew in their studio outside Paris. It was a proper subway art moment. Drinking,

Sketching, looking at photographs and reminiscing about past missions. In the early hours we set off to the yard, which was 2 minutes away. After checking the layup we split into two groups and those of us who were not painting went to lookout on the bridge. As we were wrapping up someone came and picked up one of my cans. I turned round and told him that I needed it to finish my piece. Clearly he didn’t get what I was saying, not surprising as he looked pretty off his face. He started getting off with it anyway so I grabbed the can and there was a bit of a struggle. Then this dude started shouting at me over my paint wtf. I couldn’t f**kin’ believe it. By now it was on top and the yard was right next to a street that was in view of pedestrians and regular police patrols. He f****d off when he realized I wasn’t gonna back down. Our next dilemma was either leaving our near finished pieces or risking the arrival of the guard and his Alsatian. We decided to quickly finish our pieces, get flix and get out rapid. When we regrouped nobody knew who the guy was, he had basically just tagged onto us. We went back to the yard in the morning and it was like a madman had gone sick on the train where this guy had painted.

And the funniest? One of the funniest experiences I have had painting was in Sao Paulo. I met with Ise Coyo and Rennata early one Sunday. We just got in the car drove about until we found a spot to paint and just started piecing. By nightfall we had painted a bunch of pieces, tags and throwups around the city. As we drove around one of the barrios we came across some shop shutters. There were a bunch of girls standing around a speaker listening to Beyoncé and a group of boys playing football in the street. As we started to paint a large crowd started to form. Some of the children started asking me questions but were totally baffled when they realized I was English. It was about 8 in the evening in the middle of nowhere and there’s this English dude doin’ graffiti in their hood…. Random. After taking pics in front of the throwups with the kids, we set off to the car. From nowhere I lost myself in the moment and started B-boying in the middle of the street. I did an Ill freeze into a B- boy stance and just walked off like it wasn’t anything as all the kids were going crazy behind me. Brazil is everything you would expect it to be and then some.

DREPH AND HIS WALLS

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“Graff doesn’t deﬁne me but it’s what I do and a large part of who I am”

DREPH

Recently there’s been loads of new spray paint products, have you ‘Stuck to what you know’ or changed for something new? In this time of abundance I won’t turn my nose up at most of the new products and brands that come out given the opportunity, paint is paint and just a means to an end. I appreciate technical ability but fancy foreign cans are just tools… there’s a big difference between polishing shit and your shit being polished. My creative process is making something out of nothing so I still mix some of my paint. I then line up the mulsh. And bits and pieces to come up with a colour scheme based on what I have. I find it strange when people say they did their pieces with dregs. All my pieces are done with dregs, for me that’s what graff was and still is. What is it that you love about graffiti and what do you hate? The camaraderie is by far the thing I love most about this shit. When talking to Joe public you’re reminded of how special our

culture is. Graff attracts a certain type of person; against the grain, driven, free spirited, passionate and industrious. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world and to be welcomed by a network of people who view life in a similar way to me. I don’t have space in my heart for hate, other peoples hate is my inspiration. Graffiti changes rapidly with new paints, Internet, styles and fashion influences, where do you see it in ten years? There are leaders and followers, traditionalists and visionaries, in every creative practice or subculture. The internet has provided a near immediate platform for this sharing of information for better or for worse. As laws, surveillance and security get tightened the new generation will find new ways to get over. Etch bath, fire extinguisher tags, back jumps and emergency brake pull’s are examples of this, necessity is the mother of invention. But there are many writers of my generation who will be approaching 50 in 10 years, me

included. With age, your work is supposed to evolve and naturally it may end up looking like something that has nothing to do with graffiti at all. Any shouts? Big shout to Cayoh, Able, Eine, Fallacy, Chang, Brush, Enos, Faith 47, Petr, Knoe, Krek, Skotch, Tyres, Lazee, Shue77, Kryot, Roid, Ponk, Alert, Vela & the, Imos, Part 2, Smoy, Clark, Psybr, Ruse, Dabl, Sega, Arxs, Ceres, Bice, Shok1, Eko, Score 204, Chum101, richt, 45rpm, Egs, Robbo, Drax, Elk, Skire, Chock, Daz, Qrypt, Ludvig, Nev, 2 Kold, Raek, Inkie, Eksact, Jive & Simply Rockers, Burning Candy, LDS, VOP, WD, NKA, ER, Gap, NM, FYM, ID, CB,The 1, Rolk, Sickboy, Koze, Skube, Nut, Kid Acne, Solo One, Brave, Beta & nsa, Wish, Keis, Mods, Rioga, Iser Puse, Smuf, Landry, Spank, Sya1, Cruel, Nylon, Minelli Brothers, Hurtyoubad, Rizot, Jamer, Quid R.I.P, Infoe R.I.P. and Miserabledesirable.Com. ■ Check out dreph.co.uk for more of him.

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DREPH AND HIS WALLS

Some of Drephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work during the years along with a personal image of himself standing in front of a wall back in his childhood days. 24

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LUPE FIASCO

FOOD AND LIQUOR II: THE GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM PT.1 About Lupe Fiasco’s

By Lase Antony Laleye

“What I’ve learned is not to take anybody’s advice. If you rely solely on your fans, it sets you up for the downfall on the industry side and if you rely on what your label is saying, it will disconnect you from your fans.”

ollowing the long and unwanted delay between his second and third album, Lupe Fiasco has quickly followed up ‘Lasers’ with the much anticipated first part of his two piece album boastfully titled ‘The Great American Rap Album’. Critics of ‘Laser’s claimed that Lupe hadn’t delivered the high standards that were expected of him and that instead of being an album for the fans, it turned out to be an album for the industry; filled with generic and trend following song subjects and high profile featured artists. Interestingly, with this fore-coming album Mr Fiasco has gone back to his trusted method of featuring relatively unknown talent on his songs and addressing some of the world’s most controversial topics in his lyrics. This surely will be a recipe for a brilliant and well received album. In the hip-hop world, Lupe Fiasco has established himself as one of the best wordsmiths in the game with his thought

provoking and intelligent rhymes and he has proved no different in this his fourth studio album. The album is definitely exactly what you would expect from Fiasco, with songs ranging from a spectrum of different topics. Bitch Bad, the sixth track on the album, focuses on the use of the word “bitch” in the rap world to refer to females and how it can have a negative influence on the younger generations in the future. In addition, the opening track ‘Strange Fruition’ takes shots at the American government and tackles how they have failed the African- American people of America. The darkest point of the album comes in the form of ‘Lamborghini Angels’, in which Lupe raps explicitly about religion and the highly charged topic of Catholic priests and sexual abuse. It’s not all about negatives in this album though, as Lupe pulls out all the stops in the upbeat track Heart Donor, a feel-good track telling his fans how he gives his heart

and soul to them in the hope that we are motivated and encouraged by his music. The incredible jazz influenced beat on the lead single of the album ‘Freedom Ain’t Free’ which provides for a really fun tune to listen to and the brilliant vocals of Guy Sebastian who is featured on the track ‘Battle Scars’. On a whole, Lupe Fiasco has come out all guns blazing and has created an album that sounds like a rapper on top of his game with a point to prove in silencing his critics and returning to the type of sound that has gained him so many plaudits. With familiar featured artists from his previous albums such as Pooh Bear & Bilal adding that extra specialist touch as well as giving the hip-hop world and the world in general with plenty of issues to ponder, fans will definitely enjoy ‘Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1’ and discover that Lupe Fiasco is back to his best! ■ Check out www.lupefiasco.com for more.

LUPE FIASCO

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The cover of LUPE FIASCO’s album FOOD AND LIQUOR II: THE GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM PT.1

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BLUEY ROBINSON

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ALTER EGOS OF NICKI MINAJ

Alter Egos Of

nicki minaj By Hanah Mamoojee

ALTER EGOS OF NICKI MINAJ

n a celebrity and music world full of multipersonalities and alter-ego disorders, celebrities from the likes of Lady Gaga to hiphop queen Beyonce, as well as diva Mariah Carey, have all presented the public with their “other self”; Joe Calderon, Sasha Fierce and Mimi. Nicki Minaj on the other hand has taken this a step further. The hip-hop & rap superstar needs not only one alter-ego to give her music an edge but a whole family of them! The most well known ego’s her fans would be familiar with include The Harajuku Barbie, Roman Zolanski (and his mother Martha Zolanski), Female Weezy and Dear Old

Nicki, all of which are featured in multiple songs across both her debut album, Pink Friday and her most recent release, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Unlike most of her other contemporaries, Nicki’s need for alter ego’s stemmed from something very different than the need to be ‘out-there’ or to perform with more fierceness on a stage. And this is where Nicki’s first alter ego appears, whom she created when she was a child. Nicki conjured up ‘Cookie’ when her parents use to fight. Because her parents constantly fought when she was growing up, she created characters and worlds in her mind to help her escape them. This behavior doesn’t seem to

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be particularly strange for a child going through this trauma, but unlike most who dispel these imaginations, Nicki took them along with her, extending her imaginary family, introducing them to the public through her music. Now it would seem almost impossible to imagine Nicki without Roman, Barbie or any of her other characters. So for those of you who don’t know, jump to the next couple of pages where we briefly introduce you to the main host of personalities taking up her ‘inner real estate’.

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ALTER EGOS OF NICKI MINAJ

The Harajuku Barbie Ever wondered why the hell Westwood has started calling all his female listeners “Barbz”? Nicki is the reason why. The Pink Friday’s album cover features Nicki as the naïve-like Barbie doll, with long plastic looking legs, a pink wig and an extravagant pink dress. Fans have speculated that Barbie actually features on a lot of the songs on Pink Friday although Minaj has only ever confirmed her appearance in Bedrock.

Roman Zolanski Her first album Pink Friday, released last year, was only partially performed by Nicki. The other part was performed by Roman Zolanski, the “boy who lives inside [her]” though she has also referred to Roman as her twin sister. In an interview earlier this year, Nicki revealed Roman was a “gay boy, he says what I cant say, he’s mean angry and vicious.” Roman specifically appears when Nicki raps – whether in a duet with Eminem on the song “Roman’s Revenge” or with Trey Songz on the song “Bottoms Up”. His eclectic British-ness mixed with his semi-evil personality definitely grab any listeners attention, Nicki fan or not!

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NICKI MINAJ

Martha Zolanski Instantly recognizable by her British accent, Martha, Roman’s mother is first seen at the beginning of Nicki’s video ‘Moment 4 Life’. Her attitude changes as she is known to be King Nicki’s kindly godmother as well as the ‘angry mum’ who order Roman to take his medication in Roman Holiday.

Why does she need these alter egos? These alter egos seem to give her a chance to appeal to different listening audiences. Nicki doesn’t seem content with just four or five alter egos, she debuted a new alter ego, Nicki Teresa, a healer who spreads peace and love to her fans. She also created Rosa in December 2010.

But of course, a whole host of established male artists have alter egos too, T.I has his street persona T.I.P and Eminem has never been shy about his rougher self known as ‘Slim Shady’.

Many commenters on celebrity alter-egos dismiss these creational personalities as excuses for stars to legitimately present a racier or bolder version of themselves; as an ‘excuse to walk on the wild side’ of fame and fortune. Some even go further to say that it is female artists in particular who feel the need to create these persona’s for themselves in an attempt to succeed in the music industry. The Daily Femme poses an interesting question as to whether the stereotypes still hold strong in the current hip hop industry; Do female artists feel more compelled to create alter-egos to sell more sex without the stigma of being branded a ‘hoe’?

I personally don’t think this answers the question as to why Nicki needs alter egos. Nicki fans would know, that the real Nicki is already one of he boldest and diverse artists in the Hip Hop industry at the moment. So why does she need them? These alter egos seem to give her a chance to appeal to different listening audiences. In her fairy tale land of Barbz and Ken’s could it be that Minaj is offering her younger listeners a refreshing perspective on rap as a healthy creative outlet? On Graham Norton’s show earlier this year, The Harajuku Barbie is reported to have sent a positive message to her listeners, saying: “No Barbz, don’t ever do drugs! OK?”

Or are her alter-egos a way for her music to be transnational, transgender and appeal to all ages? Some music critics have gone so far as to name Minaj the “Fliest Feminist” as her egos are transgender. Her egos are empowering for females and males as well the younger hip hop generation. Others dismiss them as a publicity stunt, and other groups such as religious fanatic blogger ‘Justify’ have condemned Nicki’s multiple personalities as ‘Demonic Possessions’ or ‘Spiritual Warfare’… To be honest, egos need to be questioned. They are refreshing and dramatic and bring another dimension to her music, which has been missing in the music world for a long time. All we have to do is sit back, listen and enjoy the show. ■ Check out mypinkfriday.com for more of Nicki Minaj.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAP

HIP HOP MAG

a brief HISTORY OF RAP FROM

TO THE WORLD By Kush Shah

ou are all fans of rap music aren’t you? Then most of you must be knowing the connection between DeeJaying and Rap. Well then don’t you want to know the origin of those two streams of Hip Hop? Lets take a look at how it all started. The effect of Jamaican music on the American rap music was so huge that one had to examine the former tremendously in order to understand the latter. A major part of Jamaican music that needed to be explored is known as ‘Toasting’. The origin of Toasting is such that the DJs would toast over the played music using simple slogans such as ‘Work it, Work it’ and ‘Move it up’ in order to

encourage the people to dance. The length of these toasts increased along with the popularity of the toasting. Jamaican Ewart Beckford a.k.a ‘U Roy’ was the first one to give a big toasting. The four common areas of the Jamaican toasting and American rap music are: Firstly, pre-recorded songs were the main reliance of both types of music. Secondly, American rap relies on the strong beat of hard funk and the Jamaican rhythms gave beat to the Jamaican toasting. Hence both the forms relied on a strong beat. Thirdly, the lines in the rap or toasting were spoken in time with the rhythm of the records. And fourthly, the nature of the raps and

toasts such as boasting, insulting, news, messages, nonsense and partying were quiet similar. In order for the people to hear the bass to which they danced was the main reason as to why there were large record playing systems of sound. The DJ was the main player in the sound systems. Duke Reid, Sir Coxsone, and Prince Buster are some of the well-known Jamaican performers as well as DJs. The ‘Battle of the DJs’ that takes place in US these days also originated from Jamaica where one DJ tried to outplay the other by having a louder system, more original records, and better mixing techniques.

“Dancehalls were where the hardcore tunes gained popularity. To hear certain tunes you had to go to the dance halls because the radio either didn’t have them or refused to play them.” U ROY Clive Campbell took with him his knowledge of the Jamaican sound system scene and the Jamaican toasting style when he immigrated to the Bronx where he came to be known as ‘Kool Herc’. Campbell was nicknamed Hercules due to his physique while he was a student at the Alfred E. Smith High School in 1970. Clive was also into weight-lifting. He shortened the name Hercules to Herc and when Herc became a graffiti writer he tagged himself as Kool Herc. In 1973, once he amassed a great sound system Kool Herc began to DJ.

Herc realized that the large sound system was essential in order to make a large crowd dance to his beats. He understood the trick of playing only that part of the song which sent his audience into frenzy and hence never played a complete song. The song was stripped to the barest essence of the beat and contained the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar and usually was a 30 seconds break section. He would emphasize the break section by buying 2 copies of the same record and playing it over and over. Two turntables

were used to accomplish this feat and this technique came to be known as ‘Beats’ or ‘Break-Beats’. Flash used a machine that produced an electronic beat called a ‘Beat Box’. Over time some members were known as ‘Human Beat Boxes’ as they produced sounds using their mouth, lips, and throat. Fat Boys is one group that was famous for using this technique. But the technique of ‘Human Beat Boxing’ has faded with time.

Afrika Bambaataa was one of the first rappers who hoped to use hip-hop as a way to speak out against the negative gang culture that had developed among many poor inner-city black groups. He also started an organization named Zulu Nation which works with the same motto. Another rapper with a similar intent was KRS One who runs the Temple of Hip Hop which tries to maintain and spread the meaning and the original form of rap music. Now you know whom to credit for the birth of rap music. That theoretically explains the domination of African American artists in the industry. â&#x2013;

A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAP

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A large sound system used by the DeeJays

Afrika Bambaataa with his boombox

A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAP

HIP HOP MAG

DJ Kool Herc in his studio

BLUEY ROBINSON

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NEWS FLASH

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NEWS FLASH

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NEWS FLASH

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It’s still foggy when Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne’s I Can’t Feel My Face will be out, if ever, but the two rappers are coming together in another project. Santana revealed that Lil Wayne will be executive producing his album.

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