er rap, or hardcore rap, is generally considered a sub genre of the larger category of rap music, which itself is a subcategory of hip-hop. Gangster rap is differentiable from other rap music in that it makes use of images of urban life associated with crime (Haugen, 2). The top four images associated with the genre are violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity.

Gangster Rappers as Defining the Hip-Hop Social Group
As the hip-hop movement has gained recognition throughout the United States, it has established itself as one of the fastest growing social groups anywhere. In the late 1990s immediately following the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, two nationally known gangster rappers, a propaganda campaign escalated against rap music and the hip-hop culture (Slaughter). Although gangster rap only represented a small percentage of the hip-hop culture at the time, all hip-hop and rap music was instantly stereotyped negatively as being “gangter-like”. Why? Well, this gangster version of hip-hop was the highest selling and most recognized form of hip-hop music among the majority class. And many critics have determined that this is because America is in love with sex, drugs and violence (Whaley).

Hip-Hop’s Rejection of Inferior Social Group Status
Henri Tajfel, a social psychologist who developed a theory of inter-group relations and social change, argues that members of a social group deemed inferior by a majority class can either accept or reject their inferior position in society. If a group refuses to accept its inferior position in society as just, it will attempt as a group to change things (Coates, 8-9). A large number of hip-hop artists have used their musical lyrics to reject the inferior social status placed upon them by the majority class.

The Reconstruction of the Gangster Identity
I have found that hip-hop artists use lyrics, both musical and poetic, to redefine the negatives characteristics given to their culture by the majority class, and in the process, reconstruct the gangster identity. By examining these hip-hop and gangster rap lyrics as text, I will show ways in which the lyrics attempt to reconstruct the stereotyped gangster rap identity by examining different views of violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity. In the end, one tends to wonder: Who exactly are the real gangsters?

Violence
That the hip-hop culture represents gangster-like violence is perhaps the biggest disputed claim amongst hip-hop artists. In order to disprove this claim, many hip-hop artists have pointed to the violence that exists within the majority social group, and how it leads to violence all over the world.
In “Violence”, 2 Pac demonstrates his belief that violence was prevalent long before gangster rap existed:

I told em fight back, attack on society
If this is violence, then violent’s what I gotta be
If you investigate you’ll find out where it’s comin’ from
Look through our history, America’s the violent one

Here, the poet points to American society as “the violent one” and that he has to be violent in order to “fight back.”

In “Who Knew”, Eminem showed a similar viewpoint by expressing his belief that violence is a common occurrence in American society, yet not challenged in genres outside of the urban environment:

So who’s bringin’ the guns in this country? 
I couldn’t sneak a plastic pellet gun through customs over in London
And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie
Where he’s shootin’ all sorts of these bad guys with an Uzi

Here, the poet questions the existence of violence in a country that allows firearms and violent movies.

In “Casualties of War”, Rakim blames the United States government, specifically its Head of State, as the group causing the violence in society with their war-like ways:

I’ma get back to New York in one piece
But I’m bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin’ over my head remind me…
President Bush said attack
Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back

In this text, the poet refers to our country’s decision to go to war as an example of the violence that exists amongst the majority social class.

In “The Watcher”, Dr. Dre redefines the negative characteristic of violence by pointing to the police force as the source of violence, and therefore, referring to them as “gangster-like”:

Things just ain’t the same for gangstas
Cops is anxious to put people in handcuffs
They wanna hang us, see us dead or enslave us
Keep us trapped in the same place we raised in
Then they wonder why we act so outrageous
Run around stressed out and pull out gauges
Cause everytime you let the animal out cages
It’s dangerous, to people who look like strangers

Here, the poet accuses the majority class of keeping them “trapped in the same place we raised in” and that the perceived violence is only due to the introduction of “people who look like strangers.”
 
These are examples of how hip-hop artists redefine the image of violence by showing how it exists or was created within the majority social group.

Drugs
Another common disputed stereotype of hip-hop artists is their use and distribution of illegal drugs. In attempts to redefine this negative characteristic, many hip-hop artists have pointed at the majority social group as the facilitator of drug abuse.

In “Justify My Thug”, Jay-Z speaks directly to members of government, raising questions about who has made the availability and use of these drugs possible:

Mr. President, there’s drugs in our residence
Tell me what you want me to do, come break bread with us
Mr. Governor, I swear there’s a cover up
Every other corner there’s a liquor store – what is up?

In this example, the poet inquires as to why there is a liquor store in “every other corner” of his community.

In “I Want to Talk to You”, Nas uses the same approach to challenge the notion of drug distribution by asking his representatives what they would do in his situation:

Why y’all made it so hard, damn
People gotta go create their own job
Mr. Mayo,r imagine if this was your backyard
Mr. Governo,r imagine if it was your kids that starved
Imagine your kids gotta sling crack to survive

Here, the poet claims that the distribution of drugs is not only an effect of the poverty that exists in his environment, but also a means of survival.

In “Manifesto”, Talib Kweli actually accuses the government of being the body which allows drugs into the country:

Like the C.I.A. be bringin’ in crack cocaine bailin’ out of planes
With the George Bush connections, I push Reflection
Like I’m sellin’ izm, like a dealer buildin’ the system
Supply and the demand it’s all capitalism
People don’t sell crack cause they like to see blacks smoke
People sell crack cause they broke

In this example, the poet accuses the C.I.A. of flying drugs into the country, and again reiterates the point that it is a means of survival due to the “supply and demand” of a capitalist society.

In “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster”, the Geto Boys fully redefine the negative characteristic of drug distribution by accusing the President of being a drug dealer, and therefore, a gangster:

And now, a word from the President!
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
Getting’ voted into the White House
Everything lookin’ good to the people of the world
But the Mafia family is my boss
So every now and then I owe a favor gettin’ down
Like lettin’ a big drug shipment through
And send ‘em to the poor community
So we can bust you know who

These examples show how hip-hop artists redefine the image of being drug dealers and users by again pointing to the majority class as the creator of the drug problem in this country. 

Materialism
Hip-hop music is also seen by the majority class as a genre dominated by materialism. Again, artists point back to the majority class in an attempt to redefine this negative characteristic.

In “Respiration”, Black Star points to all the wealth surrounding urban areas, and how it absorbs the lower class in materialism, making them want parts of that wealth:

Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips
For profits, thirsty criminals take pockets
Hard knuckles on the second hands of workin’ class watches
Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of living
Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options

Here, the poet talks about various materialistic aspects of the majority class, and how the lower class must “play or die” to “stay alive.”

In “All Falls Down”, Kanye West actually blames this materialism on American society:

It seems we living the American dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings

In this example, the poet blames the “American dream” for materialism, saying it causes people to “do the ugliest things” for “riches and diamond rings.”

In “Los Angeles Times”, Xzibit also blames this materialism on the majority class, claiming that is what the youth are taught coming up in urban environments:

Welcome to L.A.
Where you can see the whole city burning
Cause the cops got Uzis and the dealers keep serving
And your kids ain’t learning it, except this
Sex power and wealth, forget everything else

Here, the poet expresses his belief that certain aspects of materialism, including “power and wealth” are taught to children through occurrences in society.

These are examples how hip-hop artists redefine the negative characteristic of being materialistic by showing examples of how this materialism is prevalent in the majority class, and often created within that class.

Sex
And the final debated stereotype of the hip-hop social class is that they are sexually promiscuous, often leading to disrespectful treatment towards women. The poets also attempt to redefine this stereotype by blaming the core of the problem on society.

In “Pussy Galore”, the Roots claim that the country’s obsession with sex is pushed by sexually-driven marketing campaigns:

Lookin’ out the limo window up at the billboards
200 miles, she was the only thing I saw
Promotin’ everything, from the liquor to the nicotine
Cell phones, anti-histamines, chicken wings
You gotta show a little skin to get them listening
For real yo, the world is a sex machine

In this example, the poet retells a personal experience in which he saw sex advertisements as “promotin’ everything.” And in order to “get them listening”, he claims, “you gotta show a little skin.”

In “Get By”, Talib Kweli blames this sexual obsession on what we view on television:

The TV got us reachin’ for stars
Not the ones between Venus and Mars,
The ones that be readin’ for parts
Some people get breast enhancements and penis enlargers

Here, the poet expresses his belief that television creates a misconception of what people should be sexually, and that contributes to the promiscuity that is being blamed on the hip-hop movement.

Hip-hop artists have used their lyrics and poetry to influence the rejection and reconstruction of the gangster identity that plagues their social class. This is accomplished through the redefining of negative characteristics assigned by the majority class. In most cases, these redefinitions include pointing to the majority class as the real holders of these negative characteristics. The redefining of these “gangster-like” images through hip-hop lyrics helps to reconstruct the gangster identity by questioning “gangster-like” behaviors and which social class actually has these behaviors. So the question presented is: Who exactly are the gangsters?

Works Cited / Discography
2 Pac. 2Pacalypse Now. Jive Records, 1991.
Black Star. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Rawkus Records, 1998.
Coates, Jennifer. Women, Men and Language. Longman Publishing, New York: 1993.
Dr. Dre. The Chronic 2001. Interscope Records, 1999.
Eminem. The Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records, 2000.
Geto Boys. Uncut Dope LP. Interscope Records, 1999.
Haugen, Jason. “‘Unladylike Divas’: Language, Gender and Female Gangster Rappers.” Popular Music and Society: December, 2003.
Jay Z. The Black Album. Def Jam, 2003.
Kanye West. College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella Records, 2004.
Nas. I Am. Sony Records, 1999.
Rakim. Don’t Sweat the Technique. MCA Records, 1992.
Rawkus Records. Lyricist Lounge Volume 1. Priority Records, 1999.
Slaughter, Peter. “Attack on Rap Music.” Barutiwa Weekly News. June 14, 1997.
Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. Train of Thought. Rawkus Records, 2000.
Talib Kweli. Quality. Rawkus Records, 2003.
The Roots. Phrenology. MCA Records, 2002.
Whaley, Angela. “Hip Hop is Not for Sale.” Colorado State University’s Talking Back: Volume 3, Issue 1.
Xzibit. 40 Days and 40 Nights. Loud Records, 1998.

By: Nathaniel Long

About the Author:

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better College Dropout gets. College Dropout simply stated is one of Kanye West’s best CDs to date.

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Kanye West is one of those musicians that has the ability to just win you over with him talent. The kind of artist it’s really a treat to be able to listen to.

Listen to this CD and I believe you’ll find there’s not much to dis-like about it. The songs are inspired, the production is simply outstanding, and Kanye West is clearly in top form. So much so that if you’re even mildly into Rap music you’ll enjoy this album.

While this entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 8 – Never Let Me Down, track 11 – The New Workout Plan, and track 21 – Last Call.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 2 – We Don’t Care. What a nice track!

College Dropout Release Notes:

Kanye West originally released College Dropout on February 10, 2004 on the Roc-A-Fella Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Intro 2. We Don’t Care 3. Graduation Day 4. All Falls Down – (featuring Syleena Johnson) 5. I’ll Fly Away 6. Spaceship – (featuring GLC/Consequence) 7. Jesus Walks 8. Never Let Me Down – (featuring Jay-Z/J-Ivy) 9. Get Em High – (featuring Talib Kweli/Common) 10. Workout Plan 11. New Workout Plan, The 12. Slow Jamz – (featuring Twista/Jamie Foxx) 13. Breathe In Breathe Out – (featuring Ludacris) 14. School Spirit Skit 1 15. School Spirit 16. School Spirit 2 17. Lil Jimmy Skit 18. Two Words – (featuring Mos Def/Freeway/Harlem Boys Choir) 19. Through The Wire 20. Family Business 21. Last Call

Personnel: Kanye West, CLC, Consequence, Jay-Z, J. Ivy, Talib Kweli, Twista, Ludacris, Mos Def, Freeway (rap vocals); Jamie Foxx (spoken vocals); The Harlem Boys Choir, Syleena Johnson (background vocals). Producers: Kanye West, Brian Miller, Miri Ben-Ari.



By: Clyde Lee Dennis

About the Author:

Rap is dying and the Tupac influence on rap music will be the name of this cancer. This stronghold was strengthened by glory and fame that Tupac received from his gangster tales from his music, plus his thug persona in his real life. Which helps every real life non rapping thug idolize and identify with some one loved and respected, but really this trend started to become a problem way before Tupac started rapping. As this started with N.W.A where their tales of drug dealing gangs and murder gave a voice to real thugs every where.

But it gets serious here as the popularity grew for N.W.A and they went on to sell lots of records and gain lots of respect and when you grow up in the hood or basically any where that is considered poor, respect is the most important thing because even if you still dont have money you can still have respect and my point is if you dont know how to earn respect in life or music, alot of people just copies the person with the most respect and do what they did to earn the respect they got.

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery but in reality it can be the easiest way to make a dollar, but only to a certain point as you seen people loved tupac for all his tattoos and now you see every up and coming rapper with tattoos, even LIL Wayne has tattoos on his face, so lets all copy that cause Tupac was the greatest and we all want to be the greatest right? Plus he smoked weed all day, so imma smoke weed all day, he was starting music industry conflicts or beefs, and so im gonna start music industry beefs but, the down side to this is that when Tupac was alive there was only one Tupac.

So that made him interesting and respected and loved by the real rap fans, but now you have at least 85% of the rappers that are rapping to some sort of degree affected by this negative Tupac influence on there music plus at the same time the music they are recording is mostly bull crap, but trip this, even Jay-Z as of this last year, had to go back and do a drug dealing record because he knows that he has lost the respect that he probably never even had, in an attempt to gain the respect that Tupac had and probably still has.

Now the effect that the thug/ drug dealer/ murderer image has on hip hop in regards to sales for the simple fact that in this day and age the actual people that are buying records in america and over seas are not gang members, they are actual hard working people as this style of music is just merely a form of entertainment where the thugs/gangbangers in real life are only 1 percent of the united states population and a majority of these thugs do not buy CDs from out of the stores any way, so why do rappers and record companies produce these types of records still to this day, after countless amounts of artist continue to see a fall in sales.

Hip Hop needs to die and when i say that, I mean this current state of hip hop will not make it into the next decade and im talking about the tupac influence on hip hop, where the fans are ready for something new and real and something they can relate to because for every rapper to have had killed somebody, been shot, sold drugs, and have smoked and/or drunken drugs is stupid and needs to be laid to rest, before it affects any one else.

But in 2007 we have seen the desire for change first hand with the CD sale competition between 50 cent and Kanye West, where Kanye Wests clean cut image out sold 50 cents gangster watered down 2pac image, that we do want a change and if our uncle hip hop cannot get well and fully recover from the Tupac infection that has spreaded through out 85% percent of his body. Then we need to pull the plug let him die peacefully and make way for the next generation of hip hop.



By: ShonnyBoy

About the Author:

Music through its emotions and it’s teaching can either bring us toward good or away from it. It can give us good thoughts such as faith, hope or charity or it can bring us evil thoughts like pride, lust or hate. Hip-hop, heavy metal and rock music are two kinds of music that have caused enormous destruction in society. The Sound of Evil : The boom-boom of the bass that is amplified above all else in Heavy Metal, rock and Hip-hop, has a numbing effect on the mind. With its simple catchy beat, it pulls an individual into the music. The beat is like the watch that is swung by the hypnotist; its purpose is to distract the mind by simplicity, while he places thoughts in your head. Discordant tones (ones that jar together) and heavy distortion whihc communicates feelings like anger or agony, surround us and produces in us a sense of chaos. The buzzing of electric sounds, like those in dance music, take us from our natural human environment and reality. The sound of the hip-hop beat is violent and sexual, whihc is well presented in the music videos shown on TV that are increasingly violent and pornographic and are becoming an addiction with the younger generation.

The Lyrics of Evil: The rock movement is based on the lie that we can have the freedom without responsibility, and most of the lyrics ever written to rock music show that. It began as a rebellion against tradition, against authority and morals the love of sex and the desire to do whatever you want. It has inspired drug abuse, and sexual corruption leading to a promiscuous society. A lot of modern rock is popular because people identify with loneliness of the lyrics. This causes people to stay lonely, instead of trying to rise above it. It can lead to depression and eventually suicide. Hip-hop teaches that materialism, sex and drugs are alright. It tells children that using drugs is cool, while in real life people die everyday from abusing drugs. It has made murder and the whole ‘;gangsta’ scene to be a part of life that we have to live with.It teaches us that life is all about the bling-bling of clothes, cars and gluttony. It has like rock music, glorified a life of self-destruction. Not all Lyrics are Bad: Not all lyrics of Rock and Hip-Hop are bad or evil. Some songs may have a positive message, but usually they are few and far between!! The sound of rock or rap music dosen’t go well with positive messages because the environment that the music produces is not positive.We must choose to listen to music that is up-lifting. It may be difficult to go against popular culture but we must remember that we must never be afraid to say “No’ to things that influence us badly.



By: JUDY GODLIEB

About the Author:

You have the look. You have the charisma. You can rap like a powerhouse, but what about your beat? For you to become a powerhouse in the business, you have to select the right hip hop tracks, the correct rap beats. Without the crucial backing instrumental tracks, your music and your career as a performer will suffer.

The basis of todays music lies in the complex relationship between rhythm percussion and the lyrics, flow and melody. Throbbing bass beats and pulsating drums establish the basis of todays music as being beat and not lyrically driven. The problem is – how to select the correct instrumental tracks.

At the very root of choosing the right instrumental beats for you, is you, yourself. What is your own style? Define it before you decide to select from any number of available professional beats online.

Make sure you make your selection based on who you are as a performer, not on your favorite or ideal performer. In other words, select music suitable for your style and intent. Do not copy the style of another artist.

When you are looking into choices of professional online instrumental rap and hip hop beats, also make sure the music agrees with any prewritten lyrics.

Always remember, different purposes require distinctive beats. Cross -fertilization between two different genres can be fruitful in some cases. Your fans can help you realize this faster than anyone else. They know what they like. They also have come to associate you with a specific type of music. Do not disappoint them by becoming another wannabe.

At the same time, a selection of beats can also influence the crafting of a song, message or lyrics. It can have great influence on the direction the lyrics will take. A great instrumental hip hop beat can help the creative process. It can help you make it real; the wrong rap beats will have the opposite effect. This is another reason why you should not borrow from your favorite performers. If the music is derivative, the lyrics you write may also be imitative. Your fans will recognize it.

The pulse of the instrumental beats is to act as a compliment to your lyrics. It is to help set you apart from other rappers, musicians and performers. The end- product will reflect this marriage between the two. Admittedly, some performers are stronger in one area than the other. While it is true todays music relies more heavily on beat than lyrics, some tunes do maintain a balance; others stress the lyrics or let the beat take over completely.

Whatever the case, do not let the rap beat or the lyrics remove your talent from the equation. You are the centerpiece. The music flows in and through you. Get hip hop beats that make sense to your style. Get rap beats that add to your talent. You need to control it. In doing so, you can control and connect with the audience and your music fans.



By: Clive Calvin

About the Author:

Music is a wonderful thing. It can make people laugh, cry or feel happy or sad. It can calm a crying baby, or even motivate a person to exercise. There are all types of music, too: Rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, and many other genres as well as sub-genres. And everyone listens to some type of music. Whether it’s classic rock or gangster rap, there is a type that appeals to every person in the world. But what makes a person like a certain type of music?

Some people claim that environmental factors have a lot to do with the type of music a person prefers. Most of the time, this is true, but not necessarily. Most music buffs have diverse tastes when it comes to what they prefer to listen to. They may have grown up in a predominantly urban area where almost everyone listens to gangster rap, jazz and R & B, but grow up preferring to listen to rock and county.

Why do people find it so strange for someone of a certain race to listen to what they consider another race’s type of music? This is stereotyping. Just because a person grows up in a rich family and lives in a big, plush home in the suburbs doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy listening to rap music. And there isn’t a thing wrong with it, either. Just as there is nothing wrong with a person who grows up in the inner city, and chooses to listen to alternative rock music. Music has no color. If it sounds good, people will listen, no matter what race, age, sex, or socio-economic status.

Many people, especially children and teens, would find it hilarious if their parents were to listen to ‘young people’s music.’ Yet there is no such thing as this type of music. All people have different preferences, and if a 40-year-old prefers listening to Staind over Led Zeppelin, then what is the big deal? Just as music has no color, it also has no age. Lots of young people prefer listening to classic rock and oldies but goodies, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

Again, it is just their personal preference. It doesn’t matter if they grew up listening to a totally different type of music, because once they reach a certain age, they will start listening to different radio stations and watching music videos. This will introduce them to a whole new world of music diversity, and they just may discover that they like totally different music than their peers. This is not a bad thing; it just proves that everyone is an individual and likes their own personal genre of music.



By: Taisha Grant

About the Author:

Whether you perceive rap as a musical art form or fad you wish would just fade away, there’s no denying the impact it’s had on the American musical scene. With its explosive lyrics and supercharged rhythms, rap burst onto the musical radar in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. As it grew, combining deejaying with emceeing and break dancing, rap evolved into an entirely new genre known as hip hop. However, at its heart, rap music was essentially the work of inner city youths addressing the troubles and concerns associated with urban life.

Rap can be traced back to West African singers/storytellers called the Griots. However, in the United Sates, the genre got its start in the Bronx, New York, when the exiting middle class immigrants and their businesses were replaced by poor black and Hispanic families. Accompanying these poor people were crime, drug addiction, and unemployment. It seemed like overnight street gangs appeared on every corner of the Bronx. At the same time, “Times were changing,” according to Henry A. Rhodes of the Yale New Haven Teachers Institute, “with the advent of the seventies people were getting into music and dancing and going to clubs.” The first person to bring rap to the clubs was Cool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant whose style of spinning records led to the development of break dancing. Other American DJ’s contributed to the rap scene. These included Theodor, who developed the technique known as “scratching,” which involved the DJ spinning a record backwards and forwards very fast while the needle was in the groove, and George Saddler, known as Grandmaster Flash, who was an expert at “punch phasing.” Another American deejay, Afrika Bambaataa, tried to replace gang rumbles and drugs with rap, dance, and the ‘Hip Hop’ style.

Today, says Rhodes: “Even though rap is proportionally more popular among blacks, its primary audience is white and lives in the suburbs.” He notes that the more rappers are packaged as violent black criminals, the bigger the white audiences become. “I do not think anyone can account for the popularity of rap to a white audience no more than one could account for the popularity of the black entertainment in the ’speakeasies’ to the white audiences of the late 1920s and 1930s,” says Rhodes, “other than the attraction which exists for something that is taboo or forbidden by one’s social group.” According to Rhodes, Run-D.M.C. was the first black rap group to break through to a mass white audience with their albums, Run-D.M.C and King of Rock, both produced by a white, Jewish punk rocker named Rick Rubin. Some critics have argued that with the influence of whites on the rap music scene, it is only a matter of time before rap starts to lose its popularity in the black community goes out of style. Rhodes disagrees. “I believe that rap music can withstand the influence of other (ethnic/social) groups and still remain popular and flourish.” Some consider that a blessing, others a curse.

To read other articles on rap visit our blog.

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To view and listen to the Top Rap Songs see our site.



By: Eztracks

About the Author:

POLIZZIVIDEO AGENCY

   Via Di Marco,8

  90042 Borgetto (PA)

    Tel. 0918981870

  info@polizzivideo.it

 

Everything is ready for the arrival of VP – Vito Polizzi, the Italian/American Rap singer. Vito is the son of immigrants originally from Borgetto in Sicily, and as an honour to his parents, who made so many sacrifices so that he could pursue his musical and artistic career, his first concert on the 14th of March in Borgetto is FREE.!!

The video on the 13th & 14th will be run by Polizzivideo, which will then be transmitted to the American market via the internet and satellite network.

The history of VP is very interesting and today he lives in Los Angeles. His music is atypical of a rapper- as often this music is associated and emphasizes the misfortunes for young people involving drugs, alcohol and violence. This artist has always declared his adversity to drugs, smoking, alcohol and violence, along with a clear

message, to protect the environment, proclaiming plastic as a major factor in pollution.

Of him self Vito Polizzi says, “I am very stubborn but always ready to get in a debate and share my views. I do not consider alcohol and smoking a form of entertainment. I prefer to drink my milk from a good old fashioned carton than plastic!!”

He also has a very positive outlook on the world with a pure and gentle soul. He says “I have a habit of starting to read magazines from the last page as often the best is kept till last. I like beautiful machines, but I do not like to boast with luxury and, I don’t understand anything about engines! Dramatic films make me cry and action movies increase my adrenalin.”

Born in Detroit, and living in the suburbs, VP grew up with the same characters now so famous in hip hop today. He did not live in the area of drugs and weapons, but came from a good family who gave him an excellent education. So his music is not like any other rapper and as such sets him apart from them. He says of Rap music, “Despite listening as a boy to music not aired on radio, a raw and crude music, I became the opposite, preferring to listen to Snoop Doggy Dog, Dr. Dre, 2Pac and sometimes the Notorious B.I.G” and these are the artists that have more than influenced his tastes in respect of Rap and hip hop.

During his adolescent years, rap and hip hop became an integral part of his life. Between the ages of 18 and 19 he began to “Free style” for fun. He shared this with people on the internet and received much positive feedback. This was the start for a 9 year old boy who left messages on his home answering machine.

His tributes on the web are also to cooking! “The best is Italian food, one of my favourite dishes is pasta, I love to eat often! The best, of course, being cooked by my mother Rita!”

He says of his character and family “I can sometimes seem hypocritical but it is probably because I am much more honest than many others. I love my family to the point I could not imagine life without them by my side.”

His artistic nature and love of rap were first left in the form of messages on his answering machine at the age of 9! They became a hit with his family and friends, and this was the starting point for his development in subsequent years. Today is receiving strong encouragement and growing respect in the artistic world.

VP recalls with tears in his eyes, a particular episode in the early days of his career. “One day I was in the car with my family and I decided to put on a CD I had recorded. My father asked me – “Who is singing?” – when I said it was me he was shocked and said – “You did this? You wrote this song!?” Considering he comes from an old fashioned Italian family, VP was shocked to hear such encouragement from his father, who wanted him to pursue his singing of Rap. As VP says, “God

moves in mysterious ways!” Soon after he met the producer Fero Navi who he still works with today, he has produced almost all his songs and a few hits by Otiv records.

With the help and encouragement of his father he set up a studio and recorded in his home. This made it easier for him to develop material and make it his own. Soon after he finished in the studio he returned to the producer in Michigan in 2005 and recorded his first CD “Watch your Mouth”. He wanted to see what people thought of him as an artist and the results were surprising, it was played 4 or 5 times in different local venues and received very positive feedback from fans, producers and other artists. After this success VP returned to his studio to work on his second CD entitled “Hypocrite”. This is the album VP will present on tour in Italy and for the first time in Borgetto.

Even though his music can be hard it is based on the themes of every day life.

Therefore his songs represent and tell stories to the masses with depth and versatility through Italian Rappers and clubs.

The last phrase of his biography sums up his extraordinary personality and inspiration. “My style is to take Robert West, with Eminem, add a touch of Slick

Rick, a bit of sauce and oregano……..all followed by a glass of good red wine.”

The concert will be held on the 14th march 2009 at 19.00 hrs in Borgetto, giving the opportunity to launch positive messages to the population and in particular to the young people at this influential age.

for Polizzivideo Dott. Francesco Davì

translation Gilly Crichton





By: Francesco

About the Author:

As a musician you know that marketing your work is extremely important if you want people to purchase your work. One particularly good way of marketing your music is through the Internet, though many musicians are left confused as to where they should start. So just how do you market music online, what are the best ways to go about it and why exactly should you market your music online?

Why Market Music Online?

While many musicians have found the Internet to be extremely helpful when it comes to marketing their work, others are left wondering what exactly the benefits would be. After all, surely you want to target the people in your area and marketing to people that you can actually see is surely better than marketing to virtual people? Well, not necessarily! All you really want to do is encourage people to buy your music, so it doesn’t really matter where they live, just as long as they like it.

The fact is, by marketing your music online, you are getting your music noticed by a lot more people than you would through marketing offline. There are literally millions of people who use the Internet daily. Some are in your own area, but you also manage to market your music to a much wider audience too. This means that more people from around the world are likely to purchase the music that you have made and you will become much more widely recognized because of it.

Marketing online gives you a much larger chance of becoming a successful musician than marketing offline. So if you have not yet considered it, then now is the time!

Tips on Image and Relationships

As with every other type of business, if you want to market to the right type of people then your image is everything. You need to be able to create a web presence that shows potential clients exactly what you and your music is about. The best way to go about doing this is creating your own website.

Creating a website allows you to link potential customers to your website whenever you post on forums, or whenever you create a web presence elsewhere such as on MySpace, etc. It is basically a space where potential customers get to see what you are all about and as first impressions are everything, you need to be able to leave a good image of both you and your music on your website.

So how exactly do you do this? Well, think about what type of music you are making. Is it Indie/Rock/Pop/Country music? The type of music you are making will reflect entirely on the image you want to give out. So if you are creating Country music, you will want to have a country theme to your website, not something with a modern and retro type style. Think about it, if you were visiting a musician’s website that created Rap music, you wouldn’t expect to see a Country theme on it would you? So create a website that reflects your theme and that is the first step to marketing both you and your website.

Using Blogs, Podcasts and MySpace

If you really want to draw in a lot of potential customers, then blogs, podcasts and websites such as MySpace and YouTube are certainly the way to go.

Blogs are great because you get to add a voice to your music. Allowing you to link back to your website, people will get an idea of the type of music you make, who you are and what is new with your music. People love getting to know musicians before trying out their songs and so if you do create a blog, it will draw in a lot of new customers for you. Another advantage to a blog is that if you use the right keywords, you can get it recognized by search engines and therefore more people will discover your music. It is by far one of the best methods of online marketing.

Podcasts are also very popular and you can create your own quickly and easily by visiting MySpace and selecting “MySpace Music”. Literally millions of people use MySpace and they are constantly looking at new music on there. So if you want to get recognized fairly quickly, creating a profile and releasing your music on there is definitely a good idea.

Using websites such as the ones mentioned above, you can easily market your music online. YouTube is another website that allows you to record yourself or whatever you like and millions of people will view your video. So get recording, place your songs online, set up a website and start blogging and you should end up with potentially thousands of new customers!



By: Kevin Sinclair

About the Author:

DJ Premier is one of the best producers in the history of hip hop music. The Source magazine along with about.com each voted him the number producer of all time. Chris Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York but also spent time in Houston, Texas while he was growing up. He attended school at Prairie View A&M outside of Houston and studied computer science. As a young DJ he was known as “Waxmaster C” and along with managing record store could play a variety of different instruments. Since the 90’s there have been no more then three producers that could test the skills of DJ Premiers status including Dr. Dre, Prince Paul and RZA. He has produced “New York State of Mind” for Nas “Ten Crack Commandments” for the Notorious B.I.G. along with several other songs by top artists. His most known production work is with Gangstarr, he produced nearly every single song that they had.

The thing that set DJ Premier apart from all the other DJ’s at the time was the fact that he combined the small vocal portions from multiple artists to make one hook on a track. His name represents being the first and that is what he wanted to be the first and best in his style of producing beats. He had a scratched chorus and two-bar break that made up the rhythms of his tracks. He also began to use ominous atonal samples on the work he did with Jeru’s “The Sun Rises In The East” album in 1994. Another interesting thing he does is for the clean albums that he releases, he personally edits out any language and fills it with a sound effect to make it more enjoyable to listen to.

DJ Premier isn’t finished producing beats, he currently owns two record label. Founded in 2002 Year-Round Records has released numerous mixtapes along with singles for the NYG’z along with Blaq Poet.



By: Ryan Schnier

About the Author: