Freaknik is popularly known as the annual spring break super block party in Atlanta, Georgia what was shut down in the mid 1990s. But now it has been resurrected with the help of T-Pain, co-executive producer of The Boondocks' Carl Jones and AdultSwim executive Nick Weidenfeld, as a new musical comedy tv-show called “Freaknik: The Musical”. Basically the plot of the show is that the spirit of Freaknik returns and brings back the super party enticing a young rap group The Sweet Tea Mobsters with a rap battle of the “trillist”. The show cast dozens of rappers and stars including T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Cee-Lo, along with Andy Samberg, Charlie Murphy and Bill Hader. T-Pain explains his inspiration for this cartoon with CNN, in the video below.

I was way too young to attend Atlanta Freaknik and had no idea what is was until it was shut down. While Freaknik was extremely fun it was rampant with negativity—degrading women, indecency, and violence. That lens could be applied to plenty of Spring Break parties, but it was so negative that the city shut it down. T-pain said, “There was so much negativity around the idea of Freaknik that we felt like we should push the envelope and make it even more negative.”

Remember that homeless guy in San Francisco who could mimic a talk box (or in laymen terms, auto tune, t-pain voice)? His name is Red and he never did hook up with Warren G and Andre Young down in Southern Cali. Instead, HVW8 Art and Design Gallery recorded his song "I Should Blame Your Mama On You", and had LA electro-funkster Dam Funk and hardcore hip hop beatsmith CHOPS put there respective spins on the recorded vocals. Read more...

Jay-Z is one of- if not the- biggest celebrity in urban music. For over a decade not only has Jay-Z challenged the limits of his own craft, but he has challenged hip-hop culture itself. It is because the rapper/ mogul, born Shawn Carter, challenged the genre and culture on so many occasions, that he has been identified as a tastemaker. When Jay-Z started stressing in his raps that others should make their appearance more professional, people began getting their “grown man on” (a term used to described one who dresses in button up shirts). When Jay-Z said Cristal is his champagne of choice, rappers and consumers followed suit. When it was discovered that the makers of Cristal held negative views of their urban consumer base, he announced his boycott of the champagne. Again, others followed suit.

Now Jay-Z and his ability to influence urban culture is being put to the test in his latest anti Auto-Tune campaign.

Anybody remember an Orlando Florida rap duo called Smilez & Southstar? Read more...

I wish I could have been a fly on the corner of Sedgwick and Cedar in the late 70’s. I can see it now: chilling, in my B-Boy stance, watching Kool Herc spinning vinyl, while the birth pains of the new born baby named hip-hop blast through Herc’s parents’ speakers. I wish I could have been there It would have been an amazing opportunity to be that fly, don’t get me wrong- I’m fly, sitting there for hip-hop’s umbilical cord being cut, just so I could ask the crowd: “are all of yall some followers?”