Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Notorious B.I.G. are two of the biggest cultural figures in American history.  Dr. King is renowned for his political, theological, and civic work. Biggie Smalls is celebrated for his exceptional musical ability as a rapper. And both men were vital in two of the 20^th century’s greatest social, political, and cultural phenomenons: the Civil Rights Movement, and Hip-Hop.

Yet, we do not think of these men simultaneously. In fact, many might say it is blasphemous to even mention them in the same breath. But as we commemorate Dr. King’s birthday and holiday, and anticipate the release of Notorious (the first major studio film about the life of Biggie), we are afforded a unique opportunity: the chance to bridge generations by carefully looking at two icons. Looking at each man’s life allows us to revisit our relationship to them; and to critically think about their virtues and their flaws. Most important though is this question: can we find mutuality and commonality with B.I.G. and King?

Without doubt, the differences between King and Biggie are stark and vast. (Continue below)

Article By Michael Partis(Not Nigel D., Michael Partis will respond to thoughts on the article in the comments)
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But Notorious never examines this moral seachange—the very filth Voletta Wallace lamented. It lacks the moral intelligence that Charles Stone III brought to Paid In Full. “My frustration turned into rhymes” Biggie claims, but when he acts tough, he’s as self-destructive as Lil’ Kim turning her own frustrations into sexploitation, grabbing her crotch and spitting whorish lyrics in the Junior Mafia hit “Get Money.”The filmmakers drive-by the horrible irony that Black American culture reached its lowest, self-demeaning point through hip-hop celebrity.

Notorious endorses the ghetto fallacy: “If you make it, we all make it.”This materialist notion replaces Up From Slavery,The Souls of Black Folks, Black Boy, Invisible Man, Letter From a Birmingham Jail,The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Sounder, Killer of Sheep and, most recently, Akeelah and the Bee.The final image of a funeral procession that celebrates success is appalling. Understand Notorious as an epitaph for an entire culture.

Full Article: Drugs-to-Bitches: Notorious

Biggie’s life mirrors human life: it is complex. But the power of Biggie’s story is that his life and his artistry speak to this complexity… in a Hip-Hop way. The authenticity of Hip-Hop is exactly this: that it is complicated. That is why Christopher Wallace is also “Biggie Smalls,” “Frank White,” and the “Notorious B.I.G.”

So when we re-tell Biggie’s story, we can not be irresponsible and under-express it’s problems: misogynistic, sexist, violent, and even amoral. Yet we can not underestimate the great positive force Hip-Hop culture induces: skill, wit, determination, and…success. Biggie’s life is not an archetype, it is a truth; it is a truth because the urban reality of poverty, inequality, and injustice are lived…not imagined. While B.I.G. may have lacked political ambition or a social justice orientation, he unquestionably embodies a human sentiment: the desire to not be poor anymore. And if you’ve lived the urban, ghetto experience, escaping poverty is a sentiment you’ve undeniably felt. How to escape is complex; the path to escaping is complex. But the sentiment and desire is without question authentic. B.I.G symbolizes this, in rhyme and reason; and in Hip-Hop culture. That is why “Biggie Smalls is the illest.” That is why Biggie Smalls represents BK to the fullest.

So fuck the haters. It’s all good baby babyyyyy.

Long live Notorious… Movie In Theaters January 16th…

- Michael Partis

Photo By Nigel D.

Fabolous – Brooklyn We Go Hard Freestyle

Jazmine Sullivan feat. Fabolous – Lions, Tigers & Bears Remix

Jay-Z – Brooklyn Go Hard
Real Talk With Fabolous

Article by Michael Partis

“It’s like New York’s been soft ever since Snoop came thru and crushed the buildings.”

Hov-”Money, Cash, Hoes” 1997 …and we still haven’t recovered Read the rest of this entry »

Picture by Nigel D.

While all the talk and coverage this week will be on Kanye, another rapper delivered an album this week too.

Theater of the Mind is clever, diverse, creative, and different.  Hip-Hop really needs to begin assessing Ludacris’ contribution to the music and his dopeness on the mic.

Ludacris= Top 5…I think so…

Pics: Ludacris’, “Theater Of The Mind,” Album Release Concert
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“You know how the game be/ I can’t let em change me/ Cause on Judgment Day, you gon blame me/ Look God, it’s the same me”

Kanye West-”Two Words”

Kanye is dropping what might be his most provocative musical work, in what might be one of his darkest personal periods. All while society is in one of the most politically, economically, and socially-charged times in recent history.

Is 808s and Heartbreak Kanye’s official “Declaration of Independence?” Or is it a living testimony of his personal anguish?

Is this new found sound still Hip-Hop? And can the Hip-Hop community handle this “New Wave Hip-Hop?”

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Editorial By Michael Partis

What is Hov talking about on his new track “History” ?  Is it about more than “History” and “Victory?”

There is always the tendency to feel as if we are thinking too much; that we are taking it too far.  It becomes a feeling we have when looking at all forms of art: music, paintings, poetry, dance, etc.

But the great artist is the one that legitimates our search for something more.  They make you see further, think longer, listen closer—they make you believe there is meaning to their work; beyond the surface; beyond the first encounter; beyond the first layer.

Jay-Z – History
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