It’s been 23 years since hip hop was formally introduced to the music world with the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” Hip hop was initially considered by many in the music industry as nothing more than a fad, a passing fancy that would go out like New Wave did in the mid-1980s. In its early stages, […]
Gabriel M. Rich
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Lauryn Hill
Every 10 years or so, there comes along an artist who creates an album so special that it defines a musical genre. With the release of Lauryn Hill’s Unplugged No. 2.0 (recorded live during an MTV Unplugged appearance), the New Jersey native just might have achieved that rare music brilliance that’s generally reserved for such […]
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Brand New Bag
Corey Parker didn’t initially choose to pursue music. Rather, music chased and eventually caught him. When your father is a famous and critically acclaimed musician named Maceo Parker, the musical deck is somewhat stacked in your favor anyway. From the time he was born, music was in Corey Parker’s blood. It just took him a […]
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Hip-Hop Nation?
“That’s when I started thinking/how many people hip hop’s affected/How many dead folks/this art’s resurrected/How many nations/this culture has connected/Who am I to judge ones’ perspective?” –Common, “The 6th Sense” Since it jumped on the music scene over 25 years ago, the hip-hop artform has evolved to become like the air we breathe; it’s everywhere. […]
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What Will the CIAA Add Next?
The oldest, locally hosted college basketball tournament returns to the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh this week. It isn’t the ACC. It’s the CIAA, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. It’s not known to most fans, but the CIAA is the conference that gave basketball the match-up zone and the transition game. It’s the league […]
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Tourney Not Just About B-ball
The 57th Annual Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament will make its third straight appearance at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Raleigh starting Monday, Feb. 25 until Saturday, March 2. The women’s action starts Monday at 1 3, 7 and 9 p.m. The men’s games will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 1, 3, […]
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DJ Bumrush
Hip hop is long past the stage of being a music fad. The culture has become a world phenomenon and a way of life for many. Here in the Triangle, hip-hop recording acts are gaining momentum and notoriety. DJ Bumrush is yet another local hip-hop act who’s decided to put his musical talents to disc. […]
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Maxwell
In every generation of soul music history, there comes along a singer who’s artistic expression epitomizes the art form and who re-energizes the music genre in the process. It can be said, without much argument, that Maxwell is this generation’s leading soul artist. Since his classic debut, the ultra-smooth and seductive Urban Hang Suite in […]
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The Original Dirty Rapper
Hip-hop music has come a long way since the country first heard “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang back in 1979. One of the major changes in rap has been the prevalent use of profanity and sexually explicit lyrics in songs. And while a lot of rappers have taken credit for infusing hip hop […]
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Aaliyah
In a cruel twist of fate, Aaliyah’s new self-titled CD came out just days before the singer-actress died in a plane crash, leaving the music world and her fans with lots of unanswered questions. Aaliyah, her first release as an adult, will also, tragically, be her last. But even when she burst onto the music […]