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Hip Hop Alumni (HHA) blog is for posts related to Hip Hop news, music, literature, academia, multimedia and links to HHA related social media.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Decoded by Jay-Z














Photograph from Radio.com News*


"Jay-Z Introduces New Book At New York Public Library"

Jay-Z is finally gearing up to release his biographical book Decoded.  He teamed up with former The Source editor Dream Hampton to write the memoir, which combines an autobiographical first-person style with interviews from close friends and family.  The book will also include his explanation to lyrics of selected tracks.


Lord Finesse vs. Percee P (1989)



Lord Finesse vs. Percee P (1989)

YouTube: click here

Monday, September 27, 2010

Mo' Meta Blues The World According to Questlove



Photo from Music Musings*

"Mommy, What's a Questlove?"

The Roots' ?uestlove has announced, via okayplayer.com, plans to release a book titled Mommy, What's a Questlove?  The book will supposedly be comprised of "music factoids... real life stories, celebrity encounters, and thoughts on life written in his signature stream-of-consciousness style."

This article was posted in 2010.  Since then the following book has been released, click on the image link below for more information on Mo' Meta Blues, The World According to Questlove.


'Dear Mama' National Recording Registry

"Afeni Shakur Talks 'Dear Mama' Inclusion in National Recording Registry"

Tupac Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur was honored that the Library of Congress included her son's tribute song "Dear Mama" in the National Recording Registry.  Tupac recorded the track in early 1995, just before he was sentenced to a year in the Clinton Correctional Facility on a sexual assault charge.


Though Mother's Day was last month, the Library of Congress waited until this week to include the late Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama," in its National Recording Registry. Often cited as 2Pac's most emotionally resonant song, the tribute to his mother Afeni Shakur follows Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash as the only hip-hop songs tapped for inclusion.

"Dear Mama," written shortly before Shakur served a prison term, vividly renders the hardships of addiction and poverty that his mother endured in her efforts to raise him to adulthood. The song attests to Shakur's gift at crystallizing complex emotions in simple stark images: being kicked out of his home at 17, selling crack rock with thugs who offered paternalistic support, hugging his mother from behind bars.

“I’m incredibly touched,” said Afeni Shakur in a prepared statement. "It could have been any song, but I’m honored they chose ‘Dear Mama’ in particular. It is a song that spoke not just to me, but every mother that has been in that situation, and there have been millions of us. Tupac recognized our struggle, and he is still our hero.”

The honor accorded “Dear Mama” reflects a growing revisionism towards Shakur's legacy. While revered in both the streets and suburbs at the time to his death in 1996, Shakur's brazen attitude often drew flack from cultural critics alienated by the violence and misogyny that some of his songs contained. Yet last December, "Changes" earned recognition as one of the Vatican's "12 Favorite Songs." While in September  2009, Atlanta University's Robert Woodruff Library announced that they would make Shakur's private writings available for scholarly research.

"Dear Mama" is one of 25 recordings selected for inclusion in 2010. The entries are judged on cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. This year's class also included Patti Smith's "Horses," R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe," Willie Nelson's "Redheaded Stranger," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and the "Little Engine That Could," as narrated by Paul Wing.

-- Jeff Weiss



Weiss, Jeff. "2Pac's 'Dear Mama' Selected for Inclusion in Library of Congress' National Recording Registry." Weblog post. Los Angeles Times Music Blog. Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2010. Web. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/06/2pacs-dear-mama-selected-for-inclusion-in-library-of-congress-national-recording-registry.html>.

Professor LaMar Queen


Professor LaMar Queen

"Los Angeles Teacher Uses Hip Hop To Teach Algebra"

'Let's talk about slope intercept / I don't mind if you interject / Just don't disrespect / I say, you have a question for me? / What's y equals mx + b?" rhymes Queen, who has launched a website, MusicNotesOnline, to market his rap CD and DVD.  Queen plans to expand his rap teaching method to other subjects.' Click on the image above to check out the video.

HipHopDX.com