Occasionally, an individual finds a way into our consciousness, and they remain there forever. They have this infectious personality, aura, appeal, energy, and presence that draw you deep into their world. I am a music lover and there is a brief list of entertainers, athletes, and scholars that I gravitate to on such a deep level. Madonna Louise Ciccone is one of those individuals. Madonna is universally known as the Queen of Pop, but this diminishes her music genius, which places her in a bubble. I will explain this in more detail at some point during this article. At any rate, the musician born in Bay City, Michigan on April 16, 1958, is talented, complicated, sexy, and a wild child. Art imitates life and life often imitated in art, and I honestly believe Madonna has maximized both up to this point. Madonna has pushed boundaries for almost 4 decades and while other people were uncomfortable, she did so with a smile.

Sid Minter, Blogger

Yes, Afrika Bambaataa is a living legend in the culture that we call Hip Hop. Yes, Afrika Bambaataa helped save the lives of frustrated youth throughout New York in the 70's and early 80's. Yes, Afrika Bambaataa influenced a generation with his music and the Universal Zulu Nation Movement. Yes, I loved "Planet Rock" and "Looking For The Perfect Beat" as well. Yes, I respected everything about Afrika Bambaataa like any other Hip Hop purest. Yes, when Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) and other members of the Native Tongues (Plenty other Rap Acts) started endorsing ZULU Nation, it made me respect it and research it's values. I know Afrika Bambaataa used parties, break dancing and history to promote positive change. Yes, you could have considered Afrika Bambaataa as one of the people on Hip Hop's Mt. Rushmore. Yes, all of these things stood true until last year.

Life is a series of events that travel in the form of time, space and energy. Each existence can be viewed as a book that gradually tell our story until the final chapter. The fortunate individuals live out a novel while others are forced to share cliff notes until they expire. One can only pray for extended blessings. As an African American youth growing up around poverty, violence and drugs , Curtis Jackson was the poster child for a life of crime or a short life in general. A grim reality is many of our kids are very intelligent but circumstances elevate the chances of them not reaching their full potential. To say many obstacles stand in their way is an understatement. By the time Curtis Jackson was 12 years old he was selling drugs in South Side Jamaica Queens (NYC). Twelve years later he would be in the hospital fighting for his life after a hit was put on him. As I stated in the opening sentence, “energy” is one of life’s necessary nutrients and bad energy can destroy you.

“I’m the young city bandit, hold myself down singlehanded. For murder raps, I kick my thoughts alone, get remanded. Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne.”

In the history of Hip Hop Culture, there are 5-6 names that universally receive and garner a high level of admiration. There are some great minds that penetrated, influenced and moved this relatively young culture forward. The authentic figures are generally individuals who were raised in challenging conditions. These less than appealing circumstances were the catalyst for firsthand experience, perspective and a front row seat to America’s Systematic Racism. Systematic Racism is one of the architects of poverty, violence and inequality. The culture of Hip Hop (Rap Music, Breakdancing, and Graffiti) became therapy, motivation and a sense of pride for kids in the inner city. Years later, this culture would spread throughout the United States and the Globe. Before the great migration, teens in the South Bronx were having fun in the park, trying to make sense of this new cultural phenomenon.

The culture of Hip Hop is often serious because the inner city and poverty is serious. The lifestyle is dissected within the art. Art imitates life and vice versa. As the world turns you have to find a reason to smile. Laughter can keep the soul healthy. Laughter is essential in life. Music has the power of healing and this healing has literally changed lives. Speaking for myself, I remember growing up in a community that had challenges. I grew up around good people, bad people, love, hate, drugs, guns, friends and family that loved me unconditionally. At the same time, I saw people who were often “angry” as well. When it came to Hip Hop and Rap Music, I found escapism like no other. As a grown man, I still find a way to get lost in the music whenever I’m dealing with some of life’s emotions. When I think back on MC’s that made me feel good, I think about Biz Markie.

The power of words can never be underestimated. Throughout World History, words have put events into action, that resulted in numerous deaths (Wars), famine, anarchy, and the mistreatment of millions globally. Words have also been the catalyst for peace, prosperity, and laws that seek to establish somewhat of a balance in day to day life and equality. Of course each Country has a language, culture and “Way of Life” that dictate how words are used. Our ancestors pass down terminology and tradition for us to have a sense of connection. Our roots manifest into our offspring. In the case of African Americans (Black People), the leaves on our Family Tree have branches that were forced to endure generations of tough winters. We are the children of Slaves, so there is power in words because we’ve heard insults for hundreds of years in the United States. Yes, I’m well aware that if many of us trace our bloodline, we are decedents of Kings, Queens, and Warriors, this goes without saying. I’m simply talking about various storms we’ve faced as Americans.

As a 9th Grader in High School, I would take long walks dribbling my basketball around the neighborhood with a walkman tape player blasting. Early memories of Run DMC, EPMD and Ice Cube come to mind. Their tapes got the most run in my walkman until one day, everything changed. A relatively unknown group at the time who affectionately went by A Tribe Called Quest released a video for their first single, “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo”. The title of the song caught my attention more than the actual song, because my favorite TV Show is Sanford and Son. If you watched Sanford and Son, you know Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) referenced El Segundo on the show often. It was always mentioned as a joke and somewhere Godzilla was going to destroy. At any rate, the video was funny, creative and the lead MC had a voice that also caught my attention. I would learn soon after that his name was Q-Tip.

In a world filled with doubters, some people remain focused, allowing their heads to stay above water. Life can attack you with obstacles and demons will attempt to sabotage your dreams. One must remain mindful of bad energy that reside in the atmosphere and continue striving with tunnel vision. In the Music Industry, dreams are shattered by rejection, which leave many aspiring artist malnourished with a depleted ego. Individuals who visualize light at the end of the tunnel, often find themselves one step closer to Utopia. Each genre of music has talented dreamers in every town, city, state, and region. We know it’s basically impossible to make it “Big” because there are so many factors and layers in “Show Business”. You almost have a better chance of hitting the lottery.

Hip Hop is one of the most unique genres of music in world history. The culture has pretty much become a way of life globally and the soundtrack to various Fortune 500 companies. Rap Music, once called a fad, is now the CNN of a community that has been under attack from racial injustice for generations. Through these struggles, a sound was discovered within the pain, hope, and spirit of African American youth. During the early days of Hip Hop, Rap Music was displayed more in the form of parties until record deals became a reality. Around 1984 you started to see Rappers (MC’s) and/or Groups move toward making albums as opposed to singles with an instrumental on Side B. This is vital to Hip Hop because albums became somewhat of a novel for the neighborhood, city, and state where artists resided. It became a road map or tour guide, if you will. For a select few acts, their debut album shifted Hip Hop Culture and introduced a new sound, environment or movement. If you were fortunate enough to drop a Classic Album, the pressure to repeat that accomplishment or even come close, is nothing short of monumental. In 1996, Outkast released their sophomore album ATLiens in an effort to surpass their landmark debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. To truly understand the complexity of this goal, we must first take a brief look at their 1994 debut for context.

I contemplated for at least a month whether or not I was going to write a short article about Aaliyah and in what direction the writing would take. You see, I’m a huge Aaliyah fan and I truly believe she had the potential to be a Mega Star. Her untimely death would not allow this to come to fruition but her contribution is still appreciated almost 16 years later. The purpose of this short article is to discuss how important it is to protect young artist/musicians when signing with a Record Label becomes a reality. The Music Industry can be very shady and I know this from associates I have in the industry. It’s vital to have a blanket shielding young artists from vultures and other predators. Our youth are taken advantage of on so many levels and the true adults in the situation must be reliable, responsible, attentive and focused not only on the music, but the total well-being of the artist. Outside of Aaliyah’s death which is of course the true tragedy in this equation, her entry into the music business had some shaky moments to say the least. I often wonder who was ultimately responsible for the abuse she endured.