• 2pac
• A Tribe Called Quest
• Aesop Rock
• Akrobatik
• Arrested Development
• Atmosphere
• Blackalicious
• Black Sheep
• Black Star
• Blue Scholars
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Brand Nubian
• Common
• Common Market
• The Coup
• Cunninlynguists
• Dälek
• Danny!
• dead prez
• De La Soul
• The Dope Poet Society

• Del tha Funkee Homosapien
• Dilated Peoples
• Eyedea
• El-P
• Ecks
• Emcee Lynx
• Fugees
• Gang Starr
• GRITS
• The Grouch
• Hieroglyphics
• Ice Cube
• Immortal Technique
• Jedi Mind Tricks
• Jeru The Damaja
• Jurassic 5
• K-os
• K’Naan
• Kanye West
• Kev Brown
• KRS-One
• KMD
• Last Poets
• Lauryn Hill
• LA Symphony

• Little Brother
• Living Legends
• Looptroop
• Lootpack
• Lord Jamar
• Lupe Fiasco
• Madlib
• Mars ILL
• MC Supernatural
• Michael Franti & Spearhead
• Mr. Lif
• Mos Def
• Murs
• Nas
• Native Guns

• Paris
• Pharoahe Monch
• Pigeon John
• Poor Righteous Teachers
• Public Enemy
• The Procussions
• Rakim
• Rage Against the Machine
• The Roots
• Sage Francis
• Saul Williams
• Strange Fruit Project
• T-Bone
• Talib Kweli
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Wyclef Jean
• X-Clan
• Zion I

Typically, hip hop music consists of rhythmic lyrics making use of techniques like assonance, alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually referred to as a "beat," performed by a DJ, created by a producer, or one or more instrumentalists. Historically, this beat has often been created using a sample of the percussion break of another song: usually funk and soul recordings have been utilized. However, in recent years, it has become more common for the beat to be built up from individual drum samples. In addition to the beat, other sounds are often sampled, synthesized, or performed. Sometimes a track can be instrumental, as a showcase of the skills of the DJ or producer.

Hip hop began in The Bronx, a borough in New York City, when DJs began isolating the percussion break from funk and disco songs. The early role of the MC was to introduce the DJ and the music and to keep the audience excited. MCs began by speaking between songs, giving exhortations to dance, greetings to audience members, jokes and anecdotes. Eventually this practice became more stylized and became known as rapping. By 1979, hip hop had become a commercially popular music genre and began to enter the American mainstream. In the 1990s, a form of hip hop called gangsta rap became a major part of American music, causing significant controversy over lyrics which were perceived as promoting violence, promiscuity, drug use and misogyny. Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 2000s, hip hop was a staple of popular music charts and was being performed in many styles across the world.

Genre history

History of hip hop music

The main historical eras of hip hop are the old school hip hop era (1970 to 1985), which spanned from the beginning of hip hop until its emergence into the mainstream, and the golden age hip hop era (1985 to 1993), which consolidated the sounds of the East Coast and the West Coast and transitioned into the modern era with the rise of gangsta rap and G-funk, created by the West Coast. The years after 1993 contain the hardcore hip hop, bling, and underground genres, which largely define the modern era.

Hip hop arose during the 1970s at block parties in New York City, at which the DJs began isolating the percussion breaks to hit funk, soul, R&B and disco songs.These songs were based on ­ "breakbeat" DJing. Early hip hop rhythms and (sampled) riffs were derived essentially from funk music. Some funk songs, such as James Brown’s "The Payback" (1974) are clearly predicting hip hop music and also speaking over the music was used extensively in funk, most notably on records produced by George Clinton. As hip hop became popular, performers began speaking while the music played, and became known as MCs or emcees. In 1979, the first commercially issued hip hop recordings were released: "Rapper’s Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang which became a Top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard pop singles chart. ‘Rapper’ in reference to music was actually coined by this song. Some historians cite King Tim III (Personality Jock) by the Fatback Band to be the first commercially released hip hop recording but they were a funk and disco group.

During the 1980s, hip hop began to diversify and develop into a more complex form. At the same time, more sophisticated techniques were developed, including scratching, and electronic recording. In the late 1980s, a number of new hip hop styles and subgenres began appearing as the genre gained popularity. Hip hop musicians collaborated with rock bands and spread out into the genres of conscious hip hop, jazz-rap and gangsta rap.

In the 1990s, a prolonged confrontation between West Coast gangsta rappers and the resurging East Coast began. It centered around Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. and led to both of their deaths, in 1996 and 1997 respectively. In 1996, Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony tied The Beatles‘ 32-year-old record for fastest-rising single with "Tha Crossroads," and in 2000, Scottish-American White rapper Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP sold over nine million copies and won a Grammy Award.

Social impact

Hip hop music is a part of hip hop, a cultural movement that includes the activities of breakdancing and graffiti art, as well as associated slang, fashion and other elements. The popularity of music has helped to popularize hip hop culture, both in the United States and to a lesser degree abroad.

Lifestyle

The late 1990s saw the rise in popularity of the "bling-bling" lifestyle in rap music, focusing on symbols of wealth and status like money, jewelry, cars, and clothing. Although references to wealth have existed since the birth of hip hop, the new, intensified "bling-bling" culture has its immediate roots in the enormously commercially successful late-to-mid nineties work (specifically, music videos) of Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Records as well as Master P’s No Limit Records. However, the term was coined in 1999 (see 1999 in music) by Cash Money Records artist Lil’ Wayne on B.G.’s hit single "Bling-Bling", and the Cash Money roster were perhaps the epitome of the "bling-bling" lifestyle and attitude. Though many rappers, mostly gangsta rappers, unapologetically pursue and celebrate bling-bling, others, mostly artists outside of the hip hop mainstream, have expressly criticized the idealized pursuit of bling-bling as being materialistic.

Product Placement, Advertising and Shilling

Rappers often discuss at length the cars they drive and the drinks they consume and glorify the excess, decadence and luxury.^[4] Some critic allege that shilling or product placement takes place in rap music, and that lyrical references to products are actually paid endorsements.^[4] In 2005, a proposed plan by McDonalds, which would have paid rappers to advertise McDonalds food in their music, was leaked to the press.^[4] After Russell Simmons made a deal with Courvoisier to promote the brand among hip hop fans, P. Diddy recorded the song "Pass The Courvoisier."^[4] Simmons insists that no money changed hands in the deal.^[4]

Homophobia

Because hip hop music almost always puts an emphasis on hyper-masculinity, its lyrics have been said to reflect a homophobic mindset. It is often suspected that there are a great number of gay or lesbian hip hop musicians who do not come out of the closet, for fear of the decline of their career. Rumors of such have involved hip hop artists such as Queen Latifah, Da Brat, and several others. In 2001, the first annual PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival, which features performers by openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered rappers was held in Oakland, California, and the festival, curated by artist/activist Juba Kalamka, has continued on an annual basis since then. In 2003 the openly gay hip hop and rap artist Caushun, was rumored to have signed to the Baby Phat imprint (a project of Kimora Lee Simmons,at the time married to hip hop mogul Russell Simmons); however, his record was apparently never released. In September 2005, the documentary Pick Up the Mic premiered at the 30th Annual Toronto International Film Festival, focusing on LGBT hip hop performers, such as Kalamka’s group Deep Dickollective, JenRO, Tori Fixx and the duo God-Des and She.

Language

Hip hop has a distinctive slang. Due to hip hop’s extraordinary commercial success in the late nineties and early 21st century, many of these words have been assimilated into many different dialects across America and the world and even to non-hip hop fans (the word dis for example is remarkably prolific). There are also words like homie which predate hip hop but are often associated with it. Sometimes, terms like what the dilly, yo are popularized by a single song (in this case, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" by Busta Rhymes) and are only used briefly. Of special importance is the rule-based slang of Snoop Dogg and E-40, who add -izz to the middle of words so that shit becomes shizznit (the addition of the n occurs occasionally as well). This practice, with origins in Frankie Smith’s non-sensical language from his 1980 single "Double Dutch Bus," has spread to even non-hip hop fans, who may be unaware of its derivation.

Censorship issues

Hip hop has probably encountered more problems with censorship than any other form of popular music in recent years, due to the use of expletives. It also receives flak for being anti-establishment, and many of its songs depict wars and coup d’ etats that in the end overthrows the government. For example, Public Enemy’s "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need" song was edited without their permission, removing the words "free Mumia".^[5] The pervasive use of profanity in many songs has created challenges in the broadcast of such material both on television stations such as MTV, in music video form, and on radio. As a result, many hip hop recordings are broadcast in censored form, with offending language blanked out of the soundtrack (though usually leaving the backing music intact), or even replaced with completely different lyrics. The result ­ which quite often renders the remaining lyrics unintelligible or contradictory to the original recording ­ has become almost as widely identified with the genre as any other aspect of the music, and has been parodied in films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember, in which a character ­ performing in a parody of a hip hop music video ­ performs an entire verse that is blanked out.

In 1995 Roger Ebert wrote:^[6]

100.3 The Beat in Philadelphia, Pa 1-610-276-1100
93.9 Kiss-Fm in Lanham, Dc 1-301-306-1111
102.3 the Max in Louisville, Ky 1-502-625-1220
93.1 WZAK in Clevelan, Oh 1-216579-1111
92.3 JAMs in Baltimore, MD 1-410-332-8200
92.1 WROU in Dayton, OH 1-937-294-5858
106.7 WTLC in Indianapolis,IN 1-317-266-9600
102.9 FM in Dayton, OH 1-937-294-5858
100.3 The Beat in La, Ca 1-323-634-1800
97.9 The Beat in Dallas, Tx 1-972-331-5400
104.1FM in St Louis, MO 1-314-989-9550
101.1 Fm in Cincinnati, OH 1-513679-6000
107.9 FM Cleveland, OH 1-216-579-1111
105.9 FM Detroit, MI 1-313-259-2000
96.3 FM Edina, MN 1-952-842-7200
103.10 FM North Augusta, SC 1-803-279-2330
97.9 FM Houston, Tx 1-713-623-2108
102.1 FM Houston, Tx 1-713-623-2108
102.3 FM Lanham, DC 1-301-306-1111
107.5 FM Columbus, OH 1-614-487-1444
92.1 FM Richmond, Va 1-804-672-9299
97.5 FM Raleigh Durham, NC 1-919-848-9736
107.9 FM Atlanta, GA 1-404-765-9750
102.7 FM Detroit, MI 1-313-259-2000
95.5 FM St Louis, MO 1-314-989-9550
107.1 FM Raleigh-Durham, NC 1-919-848-9736
104.3 FM Raleigh-Durham, NC 1-919-848-9736
103.00 fm Huntsville, Alabama 1-256-837-9387
106.5 FM Richmond, VA 1-804-474-0000
HOT 97 NY,NY 1-800-223-9797
V103 Atlanta, GA 1-404-741-9833
94.5 FM Vancouver, BC 1-604-699-2328

Alternative Rock / EZ listening

KGSR (Austin): (512) 390-5477

KBCO (Denver): 303-631-2973
KFOG (San Francisco): 800-300-KFOG (5364)
KINK (Portland): 503-228-KINK (5465)
KMTT (Seattle): 206-233-8984
KPRI (San Diego): 858 450-1021
KTCZ (Minneapolis): 651-989-9797
97.3 The Planet (Kansas City):913-344-1586
WBOS (Boston): 617-931-1111
WRLT (Nashville): 615.777.5100
WXRT (Chicago): 773.777.8881
WXRV (Boston): 800-352-9250
WZGC (Atlanta): 404-741-9393
KDTR (Missoula): 406-543-4103
WUKY (Lexington, KY): 859-257-9600
KCUV (Denver): 303-382-1023
KOZT (Mendecino, CA): 707-964-7277
KZMV (Cooper, CO): 970-547-1063
KSUT (Durango, CO): 970-563-0255
WBJB (Monmouth, NJ): 732-224-2490
WYEP (Pittsburgh): 412-381-9900

KVNF (Paonia, CO): 970-527-4868
KUWR (Cheyenne, WY): 307-766-4255
WYSF (Birmingham, AL): 205-940-3220
KTHX (Reno): 877-852-5849 KGSR
WMMM (Madison, WI): 608-281-1055
WDOD (Chattanooga, TN): 423-642-96FM
KRVB (Boise): 208-344-3511
KRSH (Santa Rosa, CA): 707-588-9999
WXPN (Philadelphia): 215-573-WXPN
WTMD (Baltimore): 410-704-8936
WFUV (NYC): 718-817-4550
WYEP (Pittsburgh): 412-381-9900
KSUT (Durango, CO): 970-563-0255
KTBG (Kansas City): 660-543-4130
WNRN (Charlottesville, VA): 877-WNRN-ROCKS
KRVM (Eugene, OR): 541-687-KRVM
WHRV (Norfolk, VA): 757-889-9400
KBAC (Santa Fe, NM): 505-989-3338

Most folks only do what they have been shown. Unfortunately when you apply that statistic to human behavior and add the abuse variable, the outcome quickly becomes one that has no end except without awareness and the education on the cycle of abuse itself. Letting someone show you how they overcome obstacles is the key to learning how to your self.

Lifeworks, from their website: “LifeWorks provides the most comprehensive network of services for youth and families in Austin. We offer a safety net of support to more than 10,000 youth and families every year. LifeWorks’ services to runaway and homeless youth are a national model, providing a pathway from street life to self-sufficiency.”

Safeplace, from their website: “SafePlace exists to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change.”

Front Steps from their website: “Front Steps is based on the belief that all people deserve the dignity of a safe place to call home, seeks to end homelessness by providing shelter, affordable housing and community education.”

Family Eldercare,from their website: “Family Eldercare provides essential services for elders, adults with disabilities and those who care for them.”
A New Entry,from their website: ” Our Mission:
To provide high quality community reentry and personal integrity support for individuals confronting or rebuilding from losses associated with homelessness, incarceration and substance abuse.”

Foundation Communities, from their website: ” Foundation Communities is a nonprofit organization that empowers low-income families and individuals with the tools they need to succeed.”

Caritas of Austin, from their website: ” Caritas provides a service continuum for those experiencing poverty that begins with a safety net and links them to resources to achieve self-sufficiency.”

from their website: “Foundation for the Homeless, For over 20 years, Foundation for the Homeless, Inc., (FFH) has worked to organize resources from the faith communities to alleviate the suffering of homeless people in Austin, Texas.”

Casa Marianella, from their website: ” Casa Marianella opened its doors on January 6, 1986. The Austin Interfaith Task Force for Central America initiated the project in response to the arrival in Austin of refugees fleeing from Central America. Marianella Garcia Villas, for whom the house is named, was a human rights lawyer in El Salvador who was slain by death squads in 1983. The actual building used as the Casa was donated by developer Ed Wendler to the Diocese of Austin for use as a shelter.

As the wars in Central America began to resolve in the late 1980’s, Casa began to serve less refugees and more immigrants. The clients of Casa Marianella arrive from the following countries: Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Priority is still given to political refugees, and there have been occasional clients from as far away as Bosnia and Africa. ”

Trinity Center from their website: “Trinity Center is a faith-based organization conducting programs that improve the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of the poor and homeless in inner-city Austin.”

Some would say that there are not enough good sized venues that hold enough patrons, and some would argue that there are such venues, just not at the right price to use them. Well, what ever the case, Emo’s, 311, Ruta Maya, and Victory Grill all have shows at least 4 nights a week, with plenty of local talent on the line up. These venues hold 150 to 1,500 tops, and what a personal show it is. There are merits to not having to pay to park in a field, pay $4.00 for a water, suffer through heat strokes, take a bus with 200 other people, or using a port a john that is best left indescribable. It is well worth your time in going to check out Austin’s local music at one of our 400+ venues.

We are working on posting more show dates, images, music, and touring info so please stay tuned.

Thanx,
Homegrown