DEFINITION OF FRESH

Spurred by the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police officers, Brooklyn rapper Bajan Sparrow (formerly known as Spa77ow ) sends a video message calling for people to "come together smarter... not just black - anybody in our urban communities. ***Thanks to Dunn Deal Promotions for sending***

In a moment such as this, it is easy to crawl into a ball and sulk. In this moment, it is easy to cry, yell, point the finger, and even harm others to be heard. It seems to some that violence is the only way to overcome an oppressing power. However violence leads to more violence, which leads to more violence, and no problem is ever resolved. I want to be unattached to this emotional roller coaster, but I am too connected to be careless. We are too courageous to bend, to fade or to just go away. We have come so far from yesteryear, yet all of our technology has not given us the proper tools to communicate effectively with love being the common denominator. If LOVE were the only language, there would be no HATE to speak of. These tears of mine fall hard for so many who have been taken away too soon, but they also fall for those who walk amidst us in a paralyzing FEAR: a fear that promotes hate and doesn’t allow LOVE to live. So in lieu of the world to come where love...

I think there are certain obvious principles, or characteristics that make an artist exceptional beyond their peers, and also certain skills that make an artist remarkable in general. Within the hip hop industry however, I believe there are three common examples of archetypical pathways, and the rapidity of each specific artist’s respective success. Examples ranging from a hyper-speed level of reaching fame such as Brooklyn rapper Designer, to rather slow and relentless efforts to get to his point now of perceivably earned superstardom in the artist 2 Chainz. What about an immense, decades long, Bay Area presence that muds the waters of clear distinction between what in fact is success; mainstream fame and the cash that comes with it, or underground godliness with the unrivaled respect of fans, and an unspoken superiority over the peers you’ve influenced who have succeeded to the mainstream and signed with major labels. This artist is none other than Vallejo, California born rappe...

Certain questions come to mind when I think of the term progression as it relates to the music industry. Is it not truly a fantastic time to be alive as an artist or likely any individual who gets to listen to such music? So much so, that shouldn't we be immensely thankful? Do we not exist presently within the greatest era for artistry in music? Or can we just simply always state, outside of an apocalypse or vast change in democracy as we know it, that the future will always be better than the past? Maybe that's a metaphysical topic for a much deeper piece. Or maybe moguls like Diddy who know first hand the killing raked in by platinum record sales in the nineties will laugh at this very notion. Clearly Drake and Future would utmost concur that now is a great time to be alive. There are two more artists that may also agree with me for various reasons, but most definitely regarding their present works; Kanye West and Beyoncé. The metaphorical white smoke as it were of th...

'Da' What is Hip Hop? sends the editorial by UK emcee @KCDaRookee . He has quite an interesting story. CLICK HERE

Lyriciss points out from the gate that there is an abundance of talent in there DMV and has been for a while. He is part of a new wave of guys who are fully developing besides GoGo for the DMV to call their own. He just put out a sick album that y’all needa check out. Find out what hip hop means to PG County & Lyriciss .  CLICK HERE ***Thanks to ‘Da’ What is Hip Hop? for sending***

2013 is starting to wind down but ‘Da’ What is Hip Hop? ain’t going anywhere. This week they have a new editorial written by LA by way of Baltimore emcee E Major . E Major discusses how got into hip hop and what it means to him, how it took him over as an impressionable kid and how the different elements come together to create a culture. Check out the article and spread the word! CLICK HERE ****Thanks to 'Da' What is Hip Hop? for sending****

'Da' What is Hip Hop? sends today's piece written by Pakistani/American emcee Sullee J hailing from Baltimore, MD. Sullee J has accomplished a lot through hip hop. He has been featured on your standard hip hop press sites/publications but he has even made it to Fox News affiliates through music. He uses hip hop to speak on real issues and get his opinion out there. In his words, hip hop is “a vernacular released through the hearts, freeing the mind, body and soul. Hip Hop is a light. A form of liberty, a right, created to bring sight.” For this week’s ‘Da’ What is Hip Hop? he breaks down what hip hop means to him as well as what it has become in this day and age. There seem to be a lot of conflicting opinions on where hip hop stands today but Sullee J gives some validity to all of them. Can hip hop be everything to everyone? Or are some people right and others wrong? CLICK HERE

Born and raised in “The City of Hate” , Longshot and hip hop go way back.  Currently signed with legendary indie label Rhymesayers , he has relocated to Minneapolis but hasn’t lost any of his Chi-Town flavor.  A very talented emcee with smooth lyrics and a flawless delivery, his written prose is just as good.  Although he admittedly tries to stay away from questions “like these” , the latest editorial in Da-What.com ’s ‘Da’ What is Hip Hop? series is written by none other.  Hit the link to find out what hip hop means to Longshot and to the whole Mid-West. Be sure to listen to some of his tracks and videos too because they are FIRE. CLICK HERE ***Thanks to 'Da' What Is Hip Hop? for sending***

Midst the f#@%ery that is certain pop music, VMA Award shows and Miley Cyrus , reading this essay from Zimbabwean hip hopper  Dumi Right is refreshing and inspiring. Sometimes, we are so caught up in it that we need someone from the "outside" to set us straight and Dumi gives a great perspective on what hip hop means and what hip hop is.  Dumi Right is no outsider but he grew up in Hararae, Zimbabwe and has experienced hip hop in a different way than most of us here in the States have. He is a member of the pioneering and groundbreaking hip-hop crew Zimbabwe Legit , one of first rap groups from Africa to make a splash worldwide.  Want to know the positive impact it has had in the lives of people world wide and not just watch a Disney star twerk? Read this post! What do you think? CLICK HERE ***Thanks to 'Da' What is Hip Hop? for sending***

Atlanta. Ga emcee Skinny-C ’s got something to say! Repping the dirty South and shedding light on hip hop’s path there, he takes us through the customs and beliefs of a Southern rapper. From when everyone in New York essentially refused to acknowledge anything south of the Mason-Dixie line leading up to when Atlanta and the South have been running things for quite some time. Skinny-C the next to blow! CLICK HERE ***Thanks to 'Da' What is Hip Hop? for sending***

'Da' What is Hip Hop? has taken you to New York, “the Birth place of hip hop” , a few times, but now they are taking you to where the founders of hip hop got their ideas! Jamaica.  If hip hop was born in New York, it was conceived in Jamaica.   Five Steez is an emcee from Kingston trying to rep hip hop to fullest in a country where Reggae and Dancehall rule.  He listened to all of the classic hip hop that put hip hop on the map, both within America and abroad, but living in Jamaica, Five Steez took to the online community far before so many of us did.  This is a really interesting read about growing up a hip hop fan when those around you are not.  Hip hop provided a community of sorts of Five Steez and also isolated him in a way too.  For a full look at the hip hop seen in Jamaica, Five Steez ’s personal history and more of his music. CLICK HERE